SRINAGAR: The ministry of home affairs on Wednesday told Parliament that the central government had taken a number of steps to protect minorities in Jammu and Kashmir. The ministry listed out steps in a written reply and said 14 persons belonging to minorities, including three Kashmiri Pandits, had been killed in Kashmir between January and November 30.
“Various measures have been taken by the government to protect the lives of minorities, which include group security in the form of static guards, day and night area domination, round-the-clock nakas at strategic points, patrolling and speculative cordon and search operations (CASOs), security arrangements through appropriate deployment. Inter alia, a robust security and intelligence grid is in place in Jammu and Kashmir to thwart any attempt at the hands of militants,” the MHA said in a reply.
The ministry further said the Centre had a policy of “zero tolerance” against militancy and the security situation had significantly improved in the UT. “There has been a substantial decline in attacks – from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021. 14 persons belonging to minorities including three Kashmiri Pandits have been killed in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir from January to November 30, 2022. There were certain media reports of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti highlighting security concerns,” it said.
