800 troops rushed to Kashmir as Sopore police station torched, airport at Pulwama attacked by mobs
New Delhi: Eight hundred additional central paramilitary forces are being rushed to Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of continued violent protests across the Valley. The reinforcements will be in addition to 1,200 personnel, which were sent to aid the state police on Saturday.
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A security official stands guard during a curfew in Srinagar on Monday. Pic/AFP
Official sources said eight companies (with 100 personnel each) of CRPF are being sent. About 60 battalions (about 1000 personnel each) are already stationed in the state as part of counter insurgency grid.
A police station in Sopore was torched by a mob on Monday, while the Air Force airport in Pulwama and other security installations in Kashmir have come under attack as ongoing clashes between protesters and security personnel continued following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on Friday.
The protests have so far left 23 dead and over 250 injured. Normal life has been paralysed due to curfew-like restrictions and separatists-sponsored strike since Saturday. Restrictions on movement of people continued to be in place in many parts of the Valley.
Meanwhile, with unrest continuing in Kashmir, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval returned to India on Monday, cutting short his visit to Kenya where he was with PM Modi. He said, “If there are problems, there are solutions. We are quite confident and competent of finding solutions.”