Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that peoples engaged in stone-pelting would be treated as terrorists and would be punished like Jihadis.
The strong message from General Rawat came in the wake of the death of three soldiers and one senior official in anti-terror operations in Bandipura and Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir in which stone-pelters provided cover to the terrorists.
"Those who obstruct our operations during encounters and are not supportive will be treated as over-ground workers of terrorist. The soldiers would not hesitate to fire on stone-pelters if anti-terror operations were obstructed in any way," Army Chief General Bipin Rawat told media.
Army Chief further added that, "The manner, in which the local population is preventing us from conducting the operations, at times even supporting the terrorists to escape. It is these factors which are leading to higher casualties among the security forces."
"I would once again request the parents of these young boys who somehow, because of propaganda in social media, taken the path of violence, to return to the fold. We are giving them an opportunity, but should they want to continue, then we will continue with relentless operations, may be with harsher measures," Genera Rawat said.
Earlier, Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about the situation in Kashmir valley. Army Chief had reportedly told Modi that stern action against the stone-pelters is necessary due to their covert support to the terrorists.
Stone-pelting is being used by the Kashmiri youths against the operations of Indian Army in the Kashmir valley. Kashmiri youths throw stones at the armed forces and their convoys as a mark of protest and revenge, but now it is being alleged that stone-pelters are working in connivance with the terrorists and and provide cover against army operations.
