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India to release some Kashmiri prisoners to ease situation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Srinagar, India, Sept 30, IRNA -- Kashmir's gov't last night announced the release of 50 protesters arrested during the three-month-long mass unrest and removal of 16 bunkers of the security forces from Srinagar as part of a confidence-building measure to restore normalcy.

Announcing the decisions reached at the Combined Unified Headquarters (UHQ) meeting the Principal Secretary, Home, B. R. Sharma, said 50 youths and students arrested on charges of stone pelting will be relased and handed over to their parents on the assurance of their good conduct in future.

He however did not reveal the exact number of protesters detained in security and police lock-ups.

He said the cases of those booked under Public Safety Act will be reviewed in the routine meeting of the screening committee on October 6.

The meeting also decided to remove 16 bunkers from Srinagar, thereby de-scaling the number of bunkers/check points.

Sharma refused to divulge the exact number of bunkers present in Srinagar.

He did not say how the move will impact the situation neither did he say about reduction of troops and bunkers in rest of Kashmir.

More than 100 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the unrest that started on June 11 this year.

Today's much hyped meeting which was chaired by the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, also decided to constitute two committees comprising of senior civil, army and police officers, one each for Jammu and Kashmir provinces, to review the areas which have been declared as disturbed under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

The committees will carry out a detailed review and submit their recommendations to the Apex Committee, which has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister.

The committees were further directed to submit their recommendations at the earliest.

Sharma also said that the mobile services in north Kashmir, suspended immediately after the unrest broke out in June, will be reactivated immediately.

Sharma was flanked by Additional Director General of Police (Law & order) K Rajendra Kumar and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Shiv Murari Sahai.