By IANS,
New Delhi : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday said the protests in the valley were “leaderless” and were not being directed by a single individual or group.
“I don’t believe that any one particular group or individual is directing what is happening in the valley,” Abdullah told reporters here.
“While there are a number of elements fishing in the valley, one gets the sense what is happening in valley is largely leaderless,” he added.
Earlier, India had accused Pakistan-based groups of masterminding the stone-throwing protests in Kashmir.
But Abdullah reasserted that there was no sign to believe that there was a particular organisation which was “managing, directing or orchestrating” the protest.
There have been 15 deaths, mostly in firing by security forces, in the Kashmir Valley in the last four days.
Sunday was the bloodiest day in the valley in recent months, with eight deaths, including three in police firing. These three comprised two 17-year-olds – one of them a girl. Frenzied mobs torched government offices, police camps and vehicles in south Kashmir areas after blocking the strategic Jammu-Srinagar by felling trees and erecting barricades of stones.
The valley has been on the boil due to violent protests against civilians being killed in firing by security forces since June 11.