Rajnath Singh to visit trouble-torn Kashmir on Saturday

Srinagar: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh would arrive here on Saturday morning on a two-day visit to take stock of the law and order situation in the Valley. The Union Home Minister would be accompanied by the Directors General (DGs) of paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). According to the official sources, Singh would chair a high level security meeting in summer capital Srinagar in addition to one-on-one interaction with state Governor Narinder Nath Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Rajnath is scheduled to fly back to Delhi on Sunday afternoon. The Valley has been reeling under a widespread unrest for the last 15 days during which 48 people, including 46 civilians and two policemen have been killed. The ongoing cycle of violence started on July 9, days after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed along two of its associates in a gunfight with the security forces in Kokernag area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district. The Centre has already sent over 3,000 paramilitary troops to the state to assist the state government restore peace in the trouble-torn valley.