Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holds important meet on security in J-K; NSA, army chief present

Aug 14: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday convened an important meeting on the “rising” terror-related incidents in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.As per officials, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Director General of Military Operations-Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma and heads of the security-related agencies were present in the meeting. The meeting is being held at South Block. The development comes a day ahead of Independence Day on August 15.Meanwhile, security forces across Jammu and Kashmir have been placed on high alert ahead of Independence Day to ensure public safety.Earlier on August 10, at least two soldiers and a civilian were killed during a gunfight between the terrorists and the security forces in Anantnag.The encounter broke out during a joint operation launched by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF in the general area of Kokernag in Anantnag. Havildar Dipak Kumar Yadav and Lance Naik Praveen Sharma laid down their lives in the line of duty in Anantnag.Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks of the Indian Army paid tribute to Havildar Dipak Kumar Yadav and Lance Naik Praveen Sharma, who lost their lives during the encounter.In recent months, Jammu has seen an increase in terror attacks, including an assault on an army convoy in Kathua and skirmishes in Doda and Udhampur.In July, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reported to the Lok Sabha that 28 people, including civilians and security personnel, were killed in 11 terror-related incidents and 24 counter-terror operations up to July 21 this year.Last month, Indian Army troops foiled an attack by the Pakistan Border Action Team (BAT) along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district’s Machchal sector. The skirmish resulted in the death of one Pakistani intruder and one Indian Army soldier, while four others, including a major-rank officer, were injured.