Jammu and Kashmir interlocutors called on Union Home Minister; CM Omar Abdullah: Interlocutors’ Report should form the basis to initiate a dialogue between the centre and the state; Sarpanch injured after being shot at in Awantipora, South Kashmir; CRPF t
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    • According to reports, ahead of holding two separate workshops in Srinagar and Jammu on August 30 and September 2, two of the three former interlocutors on J&K, Chief interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar and academician Prof Radha Kumar, met the Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on August 27 and briefed him about their year-long exercise. 1

    In another development, reports noted that while the Government of India has made it clear that they were not planning to implement the recommendations of its interlocutors on Kashmir and ruling National Conference terming the interlocution a futile exercise, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on August 29 said that the report should form the basis to initiate a dialogue between the centre and the state. The Chief Minister after meeting the former interlocutors Dileep Padgaonkar and Prof Radha Kumar remarked that Interlocutors’ report has been formulated after consultation with different groups across the state and discussion with various shades of opinion making it one of the most exhaustive exercises of its kind in the last two decades. 2

    According to reports, suspected militants fired at and injured a Sarpanch in Awantipora area of South Kashmir district of Pulwama on August 27. Posters pasted supposedly by some militant outfits in Pulwama and Shopian districts of South Kashmir last month as well as this month had threatened the Panchs and Sarpanchs to resign from their posts. However, the police downplayed such warnings terming it as the handiwork of mischief mongers. 3

    Reports noted that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is vacating Hotel Nedous after more than two decades. The hotel was occupied by the paramilitary forces in early nineties. It was first occupied by the Border Security Force (BSF) and later by the CRPF. After the 2008 massive protests against the allotment of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), the hotel was turned into a training center by the CRPF for its men. 4

    In other developments, according to reports, one unidentified militant was killed in an encounter between forces and militants in Chattergul forest area of Kangan in Ganderbal district on September 1. Acting on a tip-off about the presence of militants in the forests, a search party of Special Operations Group (SOG) of police, 24 RR and 5 RR started a combing operation to flush out the militants. During the operation the militants opened fire on the search party triggering an encounter. In the ensuing gunfight an unidentified militant was killed. 5

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