Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said here on Monday that there was no clampdown in the Kashmir Valley and that the terrorists were using it as a facade to create fear among the people.
Rawat added that communication lines between terrorists and their handlers have been broken while there was ample connectivity amongst local people.
"If you look at the ground situation, the killings are down and the violence is down. Terrorists have been kept at bay. We will gradually start easing the pressures on the people. But let me tell you one thing, there is no clampdown on people," said General Rawat.
As per the Army Chief, trade and business were functioning in full swing in the valley, although local shopkeepers were yet to open their shutters.
"The brick kilns near Srinagar are operational. People are working in them. People are collecting sand on boats from the Jhelum river. In the orchards, apples are being collected in heaps, packed into boxes and loaded on trucks. Hundreds of trucks are moving out. Shops are, however, opening from behind while their front shutters are being kept closed. Planes are flying in and out of the airport. That means taxis are also plying in which people are reaching the airport. Clampdown is a facade used by terrorists to create a fear psychosis among people," he added.
Rawat further said that terrorists were misinterpreting the meaning of Islam in order to perpetuate and justify violence.
"I feel the interpretation of Islam by some elements who possibly want to create disruption is being fed to large number of people. I think we should also have preachers who convey the correct meaning of Islam," he added.
Braving the scorching heat, Tripura East records over 80 pc turnout
Despite the scorching heat, over 80 per cent of the 14 lakh voters cast their votes in the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held under a heavy security cover on Friday.
NCPCR initiates action against Mehbooba Mufti for 'using school children for election campaign'
In a significant development, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Friday took cognisance of a report on 'X' accusing PDP President and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat candidate Mehbooba Mufti of using school children for campaigning in the election.
PM Modi takes opposition to cleaners on EVMs, once again
Calling it a "historic day", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the Supreme Court's decision to dismiss a batch of petitions seeking mandatory cross-verification of the votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.
LS Poll: Over 1000 villagers did not cast vote; shows protest against bad road condition, improper drinking water facility
Over 1000 villagers of Maldapara of Gandacherra subdivision in Dhalai Tripura district on Friday boycotted the second phase of polling to East Tripura constituency and refrained from casting their vote as part of their agitation against bad condition of road in their village.
PM Modi roasts Cong, says former PM's video on 'priority for Muslims' demolishes its canards
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stepped up his offensive on the Congress and said that his plainspeak on the party’s double standards has ruffled many feathers in the INDIA bloc, so much so, that they have launched a tirade at him for speaking the truth.
CBI recovers huge cache of arms, explosives from house of Shahjahan’s relative at Sandeshkhali
The CBI on Friday afternoon conducted a raid at the residence of a relative of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District and seized a huge cache of firearms and explosives.
Tripura records 54.47% turnout recorded till 1 PM in 2nd phase polling to East
The second phase of polling for the East Tripura Parliamentary constituency is underway amid tight security coverage, while 54.47% voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Friday. Voting commenced at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. Tripura recorded the highest turnout at 36.42 per cent till 11 am.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.