Precautions would have been taken if Burhan's presence was known: J&K Deputy CM

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Saturday said that the government had no information about presence of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani at the site of the gunfight, noting that if the security forces knew about him being there, "they would have taken precautions".

"I was talking about the situation which emerged after his (Wani) killing. There were large number of people who gathered there and there was violence. I was referring to that. Suppose security forces were knowing this, precautions would have been taken," Nirmal Singh told news channel Times Now.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had however said "had the government knew that Burhan Wani was one of those in the hideout where he was killed, the militant commander would have been given a chance".

"I have no information that at any point of time anybody has claimed that they were knowing that who was the terrorist who was hiding there," he added.

Further explaining his position, Singh said: "I am talking about the information that the government was having that they were not knowing who were the terrorists who were hiding there."

"It was a routine anti-terror operation and three terrroists were killed there, so I was only explaining that situation," he added.

Curfew continued in some parts of Srinagar and south Kashmir but was relaxed in other areas of the valley - on the boil since the July 8 killing of Wani.

--IANS

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