BJP-PDP Govt. must understand situation in J-K is volatile: Congress

Accusing the BJP-PDP Government of completely mishandling the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress Party on Thursday said the government must understand that the situation in the valley is volatile.

"The situation in the Kashmir valley is turning precarious. The BJP-PDP Government in the state and the BJP-NDA Government in the Centre has completely mishandled the Kashmir situation. If they believe that a law and order solution is the way forward, they are sadly mistaken," Congress leader Manish Tewari told ANI.

Backing former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah's saying that there is a need to open a dialogue and reach out to all the stakeholders, Tewari said the manner in which the situation is deteriorating, India is sitting on a tinderbox.

"Pakistan's interference into Jammu and Kashmir is a given. They have been doing it for now over 70 years. So therefore, that is not an excuse which the government can use. They must understand the situation on the ground is extremely volatile. When you have children who are five to ten years old, who are turning into stone pelters you are dealing with the radicalisation of an entire generation," he added.

A police party which was deployed to handle the locals who were stone pelting, were fired upon by terrorists in Kulgam's Madibugh Yaripora in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday.

This fresh provocation comes as an audition to the recent spree of attacks on Kulgam cops by terrorists.

A day earlier, terrorists opened fire outside the residence of a senior police officer in Khudwani area of Kulgam and prior to that, terrorists had also barged into the houses of cops and threatened their families.

The militants also ransacked the senior cops' house in a third such incident in the last seven days in the Kashmir Valley.

On Monday, militants had ransacked an assistant sub-inspector's house in Dairoo village of Shopian district.

Earlier, they looted the house and torched the car of a Jammu and Kashmir Prisons Department officer in Budgam district.

Stone pelting, which has become a major point of debate, is the core issue of discussion both by the state and Central Governments.

In the wake of the civilian casualties and injuries during the stone pelting that occurred on the sidelines of the Budgam encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) made a fervent appeal to the locals of the Valley to not pose as an obstruction in the path of security forces while they are combating terrorists.

Three stone pelters were killed in retaliatory firing by security forces near the site of the Budgam encounter in Jammu and Kashmir.

The stone pelters could be seen attacking the forces while a gunbattle was underway with terrorists, during which they were killed.

At least 17 stone pelters, 40 CRPF and 20 police personnel were injured in the stone pelting.