MHA group recommends ‘self-protection’ training for residents of Kashmir border areas

New Delhi: A study group formed by Ministry of Home Affairs has recommended “self-protection” training for the people living along International Border and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, a media report said on Tuesday.
According to a report in The Hindustan Times, the home ministry’s group has also asked the government to compensate people affected by repeated ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).
“The group also recommended relocation of civilian population during ceasefire violations, construction of bunkers for civilians, self-protection trainings for local population and better watch and monitoring by security forces,” the report said.
A five-member study group, the report said, was set up in October 2017 to examine problems faced by people living near the International Border and LoC due to repeated ceasefire violations.
The newspaper in its report mentioned that people living near LoC did not abandon their homes due to ceasefire violations in 2014 and 2015.
“But in 2016, a huge number of 27449 people fled their homes in the face of Pakistani fire. In 2017, 4012 people left their homes. People in Poonch and Rajouri have been among the worst hit.” The study group headed by special secretary (internal security) Rina Mitra and has principal secretary (home) J&K government Raj Kumar Goyal, divisional commissioner Kashmir Bashir Ahmed Khan, divisional commissioner Jammu Dr Mandeep K Bhandari and joint secretary J&K government Gyanesh Kumar as its members, the report added.