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Situation along LoC can escalate any time: Army Chief
New Delhi, Dec 18: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said that the situation along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir can escalate any time and the Army is ready for any “escalatory matrix”.
His remarks came in the backdrop of spurt in ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the LoC since the abrogation of Article 370 in August.
“The situation along the Line of Control can escalate any time. The Indian Army is always ready for escalatory matrix,” the Army Chief said.
Gen. Rawat played a key role in pursuing a policy of hot pursuit in dealing with cross border “terrorism” in the Valley after he took over as Army Chief on December 31, 2016.
He is due to retire on December 31 but it is likely that he will be appointed as India”s first Chief of Defence Staff.
According to assessment by the security forces, though the situation in the Valley has been brought under control to a large extent, a cautious approach is still required so that the atmosphere is not allowed to be vitiated.
Sources said the situation in Kashmir is being closely monitored and each and every step is being taken based on realistic assessment.
Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy had told Lok Sabha last month that “950 incidents of ceasefire violation along the LoC from across the border were reported during August 2019 to October 2019”.
The sources said Pakistan”s Border Action Teams (BAT) are attempting to target Indian security personnel on a regular basis along the LoC.
The BAT generally comprises special forces personnel of the Pakistani Army and terrorists. There have been incidents of BAT mutilating bodies of Indian security force personnel.
Pakistan is carrying out BAT operations at an interval of 3-4 days, the sources said.
Many parts of Kashmir received fresh light snowfall on Saturday, leading to an increase in the minimum temperature which brought some relief to the people from the intense cold conditions, the meteorological department said.
A MeT official said the weather would remain generally cloudy in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh Union territories on Saturday with chances of light rain or snow.
“Light snowfall of two to five inches occurred at many places of Kashmir, hilly areas of Jammu and on the higher reaches of Ladakh,” he said.
The official said the weather would remain generally cloudy in both the Union territories on Saturday.
“A spell of widespread light to moderate snowfall is likely to occur during January 6 to 7 evening,” he said.
The official said the fresh snowfall brought some relief to the residents in the Valley from the intense cold conditions as the night temperature showed improvement.
Srinagar city recorded a low of minus 0.1 degree Celsius Friday night over three degrees up from minus 3.7 degrees Celsius the previous night.
The official said the ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius two degrees up from the previous night.
The night temperature at Pahalgam resort, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 2.5 degrees Celsius over seven degrees up from minus 10.0 degrees Celsius Thursday night, he said.
The official said Qazigund the gateway town to the valley – in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 0.6 degree Celsius up over six degrees from the previous night’s minus 7.0 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag town, also in south, recorded a low of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, in north, registered the minimum temperature at 0.8 degree Celsius, the official said.
The mercury in Leh in Ladakh settled at a low of minus 18.3 degrees Celsius, he said.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ – the 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and minimum temperatures drop considerably.
‘Chillai-Kalan’ began on December 21 and it will end on January 31. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
Suspected militants hurled a grenade at Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Kawdara locality in Srinagar on Saturday, resulting in damage to several vehicles, police said.
However, there was no immediate report of any casualty or injury, they said.
A grenade was hurled by militants to target the CRPF personnel posted in Kawdara locality of the interior area of the city in the afternoon, police said.
The area was cordoned off immediately after the explosion and further details are awaited.
Real Kashmir downed the reigning champion Chennai City FC 2-1 at the TRC Turf Ground on Thursday. The match was the first big sporting event in the valley since it became a union territory.
Danish Farooq Bhat opened the scoring for Real Kashmir in the 22nd minute before Bazie Armand doubled the lead lie minutes later.
Syed Suhail Pasha’s second half goal halved the deficit for Chennai City but Real Kashmir held on to its lead for its first win of the season. The three points lifted the home side above the visitor into seventh place.
Chennai City hasn’t made a convincing defence of its crown having picked up just five points in as many games.
There were security concerns in the lead up to the game due to the abrogation of Article 370 and the ensuing lockdown in the valley.
The match wasn’t telecast on the official broadcaster DSport. “Due to the ongoing internet connectivity issues in the Kashmir region, today’s match between @ChennaiCityFC & @realkashmirfc will not be telecasted on DSPORT,” DSport posted on its official Twitter page.