‘Not just a military solution’: How to tackle the Jammu militancy challenge
The Union government should increase troops on the ground as well as take steps on the political front, say experts.
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Over four days in June, Jammu saw four incidents of militant violence.
Nine civilians, one soldier and two militants were killed in the incidents, and at least seven security personnel and 42 civilians were injured. Militants and security personnel were engaged in gunfights in Chattergala and Kota Top in Gandoh district and near a village in Kathua district.
On June 8, militants in Reasi district fired on a bus of Hindu pilgrims, killing nine civilians.
The attacks have led to concern about what many are calling the shift of militancy from Kashmir Valley to Jammu.
While this is not new – Scroll has reported on how the Pir Panjal region has become a staging ground for precision militant attacks since 2021 – there is a discernible unease about the attacks and gunfights widening to other districts of Jammu, such as Reasi, Kathua and Doda.
Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who represents Jammu in the Parliament, however, claimed that the focus on Jammu was a result of setbacks to militancy in the Valley.
“Terrorists shifting focus from Kashmir to this [Jammu] region is indication that they are under pressure in the Valley,” Singh told reporters in Jammu on Wednesday, June 12. “The way they are being pressurised (by security forces) in Kashmir, they were compelled to...
