Says probe has been ordered into disappearance of 3 persons in Kupwara
Aabid Hussain
Srinagar, Dec 16: Army on Wednesday said that the education tours arranged by it for girls from Kashmir were voluntary and done with the assistance by education department.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of function here, Lieutenant General S.K. Dua, commander of Srinagar-based 15th Corps, also announced that army ordered a probe into the disappearance of three civilians in Kupwara.
While welcoming a group of girls on their return from an educational tour at Badmibagh contaminant here, Lt. General Satish Dua asked civil society to judge whether online criticism was apt or otherwise.
Reacting to a question regarding the statements by leaders and online criticisms, the army officer said, “When they started the tour there was no such thing but I am aware there has been online criticism, India is free country everyone is entitled to their opinion and attitude and these children and parents are also entitled to their attitude and opinion.”
As an organization army planned something and went on the tour, comments by some leaders and separatist leaders “I do acknowledge some of this was there but this was a very voluntarily tour that we organized with assistance of schools, educational departments and with the concern of the parents.”
“I must tell you that we have list of 80 girls despite these contrary statements; those who could not go the tour were disappointed.”
While there have number of online posts regarding these girls on the social networking sites, satish Dua, according to news agency GNS said. “The online criticism and the kind of trolling on the social media, is up to society to act against these people. On one hand they have their opinion, so have these girls, parents and their schools.
“So it is for the civil society to take a stock whether you should subject such young girls to such trauma, I am sure the authorities also have taken notice of comments regarding these girls on social networking sites and they will be doing something on it”, he added.
Replaying to a question of overhyping the very tour, he said “On every tour the highlights of the tour has been reported, when anyone goes and meets the president it becomes news or goes to parliament it becomes news. We are not countering with anyone and we are not in the competition with anyone”.
Meanwhile General Dua in reply to a query said that army has already launched investigation into the alleged disappearance of three persons in Kupwara. “Whenever such incident takes place in which police and judiciary has taken cognizance of the incidence, army automatically institutes an investigation, so army investigation is also on and if anyone is actually found to be wrong army will not play favorites and we committed absolutely to zero tolerance attitudes towards human rights violation”.
Asked about Manigah operation, General Dua said, “We were at it and carry out the operations for long time, we lost an officer also got two militants. We did not get all of them at certain point. We don’t want to inconvenience locals and we have our modus operandi continuing the searches”.
“On the line of control before the snowfall, militants can make few attempts to infiltrate and the army is absolutely ready for that,” he added. (GNS)