As the situation in the Kashmir Valley continues to be a cause for concern, the Union government on Wednesday decided that the Army would be deployed there for a “deterrent effect.”
While favouring the “maximum and stern crackdown'' on those violating curfew and indulging in stone- throwing, the Centre said the Army would be deployed only on the “periphery” and not in the congested areas of Kashmir. The decision to place the Army in specific areas would be taken by the civil administration, highly placed government sources said here.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, reviewed the Kashmir situation and felt that a stern message should go to miscreants that law and order would be restored.
The CCS also decided to send Home Secretary G.K. Pillai to Srinagar to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.