Step up efforts to wean youth from militancy: Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba

Chairs high-level meeting on security situation in Kashmir valley

Expressing concern over youth joining militancy in Kashmir, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday urged the “security agencies to make more efforts to bring them back from the fold of militancy”.
The Home Secretary, who arrived on a two-day visit to the Valley on Monday, chaired a high-level security meeting in Srinagar to review the security situation in Kashmir. He is accompanied by top officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Gauba asked the security agencies to “deal sternly with people who might try to derail the forthcoming tourism season”, top sources said. He was told that there was no significant presence of the Islamic State, but a close watch was being maintained by the security agencies” in the Valley, they said.
Sources privy to the meeting said senior security forces officers briefed the Home Secretary about a whole range of issues, including local recruitment, infiltration, radicalisation, law and order situation, amnesty to stone throwers, NIA crackdown and collateral damage during gunfights.
He was also briefed in detail about the last week’s Kupwara operation in which five security personnel and five militants were killed, sources said.
“In anti-militancy operations, casualties to forces should be avoided,” the Home Secretary was quoted as having said during the meeting. During the meeting, there was a threadbare discussion on the Kupwara operation and Gauba wanted to know if lack of infrastructure was reason for infiltration, sources said.
The Home Secretary asked the security agencies to coordinate with the Army to ensure zero infiltration.
The Union Government wants the infiltration by the militants to a bare minimum to ensure peace in the Valley.
The Home Secretary expressed concern over local youth joining militancy.
Last year, 126 youth had joined militancy. This year, two highly educated youth have taken up arms.
The security officers, while briefing the Home Secretary, said radicalisation, social media and easy access to jihadi material were the major reasons for locals to join militancy, sources said.
The Home Secretary stressed that more efforts should be made to bring local youth back from militancy. “There should be more contact on the ground with youth and security forces must reach out to people to stop militant recruitment,” he told the officers.
The Home Secretary stressed that no collateral damage should take place during the encounters. “Approach humanly and follow SOPs (standard operating procedures) during the encounters to avoid collateral damage,” the Home Secretary was quoted as having said during the meeting.
On the NIA crackdown, almost all officers were of the opinion that it had shown impact on the ground. The meeting also discussed arrangements for the Amarnath yatra, sources said. The Home Secretary also reviewed the Prime Minister’s Development Package at another meeting in Srinagar.