SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI, AUGUST: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flew to Delhi on Saturday evening for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Kashmir Valley remained on the boil with one more civilian killed in firing by security forces.
Government sources in Delhi and Srinagar told IANS that the meeting between Modi and Mehbooba was scheduled to take place on Saturday morning at his official 7 Race Course residence.
The sources said the Chief Minister was summoned to Delhi after Home Minister Rajnath Singh's two-day visit to the valley.
They said the Home Minister had asked the Chief Minister to act tough against and round up those perpetrating a deadly civilian unrest triggered by the July 8 killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.
“Rajnath Singh carried the same message and that is what Modi is expected to tell Mehbooba,” one of the sources said.
The source said state and central intelligence agencies have prepared a list of around 170 ringleaders, found inciting the unrest and provoking people to take to the streets and throw stones at security forces.
Most of these ringleaders are from south Kashmir, the bastion of Mehbooba's Peoples Democratic Party.
Jammu and Kashmir Police have “not acted and the alleged troublemakers are roaming about free”, the source said, adding that the Chief Minister was being pressurized to crack down on them.
As Mehbooba jetted off to Delhi, one more civilian died after security forces opened fire in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. This took the death toll in the ongoing unrest to 70.
Over 7,000 civilians and more than 4,000 security personnel have been injured during the unrest - the deadliest the valley has suffered in six years.
Police said Shakeel Ahmad Ganai, 22, was killed after he sustained bullet injuries in a clash with the security forces in Haal village.
A doctor at the sub-district hospital at Pulwama said Ganai had been hit by a bullet that pierced through his heart.
Some three dozen people were injured in other clashes across the valley after the Friday prayers.
The security restrictions were tightened on Friday amid apprehensions that separatist leaders may stoke further trouble. They had asked people to gather in Eidgah prayer grounds for a pro-freedom protest rally in the heart of the volatile old Srinagar city.
But the government thwarted the protest march to the sprawling prayer ground.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads the hardline Hurriyat Conference, was held outside his upscale Hyderpora residence as he defied restrictions and attempted to march to Eidgah.
The moderate Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was also arrested near his Nigeen house. Both the separatist leaders were briefly detained at police stations near their houses.
Chilli pepper balls may replace pellets in Kashmir
A government-appointed experts panel has recommended chilli pepper-filled balls to replace the dangerous pellets as less lethal ammunition to control protesting crowds in Jammu and Kashmir.
Government sources told IANS on Friday that the seven-member committee has submitted its report that recommends PAVA, containing an irritant chemical found in natural chilli, to be used against protesters in Kashmir.
The recommendation comes after global criticism over the use of pellet guns against Kashmiri protesters that have killed at least three and maimed or blinded thousands of civilians. Hundreds of the injured have either partially or fully lost their eyesight.
The payload of these guns is filled with the Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide, or PAVA -- a synthetic compound found in chillies but stronger in intensity than the pepper.
Also called pepper shots, the ammunition is used in many countries across the world as an effective tool for riot control.
The projectile, after being shot, breaks upon impact and releases an almost barely visible irritant powder. As the chilli-filled balls burst after hitting the target, the ammunition need not be shot directly at the rioters. It can be shot effectively up to a range of 150 feet.
It can even be shot at a hard surface in the rioter's vicinity to overwhelm him or her with the cloud of the powder it releases. The powder causes severe irritation and paralyses any person in the vicinity temporarily.
Unlike pellets, chilli pepper balls do not penetrate skin or pose ricochet hazards, making it a less dangerous weapon for defence even at short range.
Pellet guns have been used by security forces as a tool to control unruly mobs since 2010 when some 120 people were killed in firing by security forces following street protests.
Human rights groups have criticised the use of pellets because they can leave a victim maimed or blinded for life.
A pellet gun sprays small iron ball bearings towards a target with high velocity. These bearings can pierce a human body in dozens of spots.
Any final decision on the use of chilli pepper-filled balls in Kashmir is awaiting the home ministry nod, the sources said.
The panel that recommended its use included officers from the home ministry, paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir Police, IIT Delhi and Ordnance Factory Board.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday announced in Srinagar that the panel had already submitted its report and a final decision on an alternative to pellet guns in Kashmir will be made "in a few days".
