Army refutes allegation says reports are false, baseless
By News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu : A small village Bonjwa area of Kishtwar district is under seize of army from the last about eight days and house to house searches have been launched by the security forces.
Informed sources told News Agency of Kashmir that army on specific information about the presence of militants hiding in the area has launched a search operation in Kither village of Bonjwa.
However sources from the area told NAK that army cordon off the Kither village about eight days back and launched a search operation on pretext of presence of militants in the village thereby troubling the local’s by not allowing them to move from the village.
“The army keeps the village under seize and no villager was allowed to move in or out from the area” sources added.
It was reliably learnt the on specific information about a presence of group of militants hiding in an under ground hideout in the village, cordoned the area and carried out house to house searches.
“The village is mostly covered with snow and no one was being to move in or out by the army” Mohd Arif a resident of nearby village told NAK over phone, he further alleged that more than thirty people were injured when army resorted to lathicharge on villagers protesting against the seize, the villagers have even been denied the medicare access, he added.
Thought the officials confirmed the search operation, they denied about any lathicharge.
When contacted defence spokesman Lt Col SD Goswami told News Agency of Kashmir that army on specific information has launched searches operation in the village, however refuted the allegation about the lathicharge and said “on specific information troops launched a search operation in the area but ensured that no civilian is suffer” Goswami told NAK adding Army has been always on front when ever any natural climaty struck the villages particularly hilly areas.
“The operation aims to target the militants who are hiding on the higher reaches of the mountains”, he added.
He said that keeping the situation in view army today launched operation sadbhawna and distributed about 100 blankets and 100 warm sweaters among the villagers.
“The safety of the civilians is always ensured while cracking down on militants and the troops only focus on the zeroing of target point during the operations carried out by them” he told NAK and said there the reports about lathicharge were false and baseless.