Srinagar, Apr 26: Former Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Kuldeep Khoda has said the killing of over 200 militants in the Valley would not “restore normalcy” in the state and predicted that the year would see more bloodshed than 2017.
According to the report published in ‘The Indian Express’, Khoda, who was in Delhi to attend a security conclave said: “The year 2018 is bound to be worse than 2017, where casualty of security forces is likely to cross 100.”
“The killing of over 200 militants by security forces last year is a clear indication that there are more militants in the valley than previous years,” the report quoted Khoda as saying.
Khoda as per report blamed “politicisation of events for vote-bank politics and polarisation” as primarily responsible for escalation of violence in Kashmir.
“As the DGP, I had sent a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, stating that out of 22 districts in J&K, 19 were without any presence of militants…The only areas which had presence of militants then were Pulwama, Kupwara and upper Ganderbal,” the report quoted Khoda as saying.
Khoda as per report also made mention of pellet guns.
“In 2010 agitation, we used pellet guns, but there was no outcry. It is possible that the boys (CRPF), who are using these pellets guns now, have not been trained or instructed properly to cause minimum damage,” the report quoted Khoda as saying.
