SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday urged people to stay calm and not to pay heed to rumours, saying the deployment of a large number of security personnel in the state was linked to the upcoming elections. "The Governor appealed to the people that the induction of forces be seen only in the context of conducting elections and should not be attributed to any other cause," said an official statement of the Jammu and Kashmir administration.


"People should not believe in rumours, which are of extreme nature and circulating widely in some quarters. They should remain calm. These rumours are unnecessarily creating an atmosphere of fear in the minds of people, leading to stress and disruption to normal life. Rumours about curfews and other actions should not be believed," the governor said.

He said "some security-related actions" were being taken after the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives when a terrorist of Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group blew himself next to a convoy.

"This attack was an unprecedented one. The response of security forces is guided solely by the need to counter both the impact and any further action that may be taken by terrorist groups who are still out to disrupt our country and its democratic processes," he said.

The statement from the governor came after the state administration issued many orders including supplying ration at the earliest, cancelling leave of doctors and policemen, rationing of petrol to the general public, leading to a war hysteria. The widespread arrests of Jamaat-e-Islami cadres and separatists contributed to these rumours.

An official statement said the Governor was briefed about the current security situation in Jammu city, where property of a community came under attack following the suicide bombing, and the Kashmir Valley.

The recent induction of central armed forces for election duty was also discussed.

"The Governor was informed that for a smooth conduct of general elections in the state, a much larger number of central security forces is required as the security concerns have increased after the (February 14) Pulwama terror attack.

"After the Pulwama incident, the security concerns are much higher with the possibility of terrorist organisations increasing their activities against candidates and voters on a much larger scale.

"In this context, a much larger number of additional security forces are needed for conducting the general elections.

"Normally, forces are inducted a month before elections so that they settle down and familiarize with the ground situation. It is in this context that 100 companies of central forces are being inducted into the state at the moment.

"This is less than the actual additional forces required and more would be inducted in the coming weeks," the statement added.

(With inputs from agencies)