Panic and hysteria have forced the Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to launch a damage control exercise to reassure the people that all is well and additional security forces have been inducted only for the election duties.
Malik chaired an informal meeting of the State Administrative Council (SAC) to review the current situation in the state, particularly in the context of the terror attack in Pulwama last week and the subsequent developments including the panic in the Valley.
Nearly 10,000 additional paramilitary forces including 35 companies of Border Security Force (BSF) have started arriving in the Kashmir valley. Police has widened the crackdown and arrested several leaders including the Jamait-e-Ahle Hadees vice president Mushtaq Veeri and placed former Hurriyat chief Prof Abdul Gani Bhat under house detention.
Fear has gripped the people in Kashmir with rumours spreading thick and fast, and people resorting to panic buying of the essentials and medicines in the Valley.
"Several rumours are in circulation and panic messages are being disseminated. Most of these are based on unsubstantiated or exaggerated pieces of information. Unfortunately some political parties and organisations too chose to react to these rumours. My appeal to everyone is not to pay any heed to rumours, avoid spreading fear and not to exaggerate matters", said Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring, who has been designated Official Spokesman by the Jammu and Kashmir Government.
Earlier in the SAC meeting, the Governor was informed that the requirement of additional Security Forces is large for the general elections. Over 400 additional companies of Central Police Forces were provided to conduct the Urban Local Body and Panchayat Elections spread over 13 phases. In the presence of these forces and as a result of their efforts, the elections were conducted peacefully, without any incident.
"In this context, a much larger number of additional Police Forces are needed for conducting General Elections. Normally, forces are inducted a month before elections so that they settle down and familiarise with the ground situation. It is in this context that 100 companies of Central Forces are being inducted into the State at the moment. This is less than the actual additional forces required and more would be inducted in the coming weeks," said the government spokesman after the meeting.
After the Pulwama incident, the spokesman said, the security concerns are much higher with the possibility of terrorist organisations increasing their activities against candidates and voters on a much larger scale.
"The Governor appealed to the people that the induction of forces be seen only in the context of conducting elections and should not be attributed to any other cause," he said
However, the government said there is some security related action being taken by the forces, but this is purely related to the Pulwama attack which is unprecedented one. "The response of security forces is guided solely by the need to counter both the impact and any further action that may be taken by terrorist groups who are still out to disrupt our country and its democratic processes," he said.
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