PM urged to step in as 30th school burnt in Kashmir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that ‘vikas’ (development) and ‘vishwas’ (trust) would be the cornerstones of his government’s initiatives to pull Jammu & Kashmir out of spirals of unrest.

Mr Modi interacted with a 30-member delegation of an apex body representing 4,000 village panchayats of the state and stressed on a humanitarian approach to solve Kashmir’s problems. The PM assured the delegation that growth and development of the state was high on his agenda.

After Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s encounter killing on July 8, more than 90 people have been killed and thousands wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces. Two policemen have also died in mob violence.

The delegation urged the PM to restore peace in the state while strongly condemning the burning of schools by anti-national elements, a statement from the PM’s office said. On the 120th day of unrest, a 30th school went up in flames in Kashmir on Saturday.

The police have in the toughest crackdown in many years against leaders and activists of pro-freedom parties and their supporters arrested more than 8,000 people.