Budgam stone pelting: BJP slams 'double-faced' separatists for misleading Valley's youth

New Delhi [India], Mar. 29 (ANI): Fumed by the recent violence in Budgam, which witnessed and encounter and incidents of stone pelting, in which three civilians were killed and 60 security personnel were injured, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday slammed the separatist leaders for their hypocrisy, saying that they are pushing the youth of the Valley into this conflict while their own children are kept in safe places. Expressing disappointment over the death of three civilians killed in retaliatory firing by security forces near the site of the Budgam encounter, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said the security forces are trying to maintain utmost restraint. "In spite of huge provocation such as stone pelting, forces are trying to maintain their calm, trying to ward off the agitating groups. But the separatist leaders are the most irresponsible leaders. They are deliberately pushing youngsters of the Valley into this conflict," he told ANI. Condemning the negative propaganda unleashed from across the border, Madhav said civilians are being provoked using social media channels by the forces from the other side. "These reactions from the people of the valley are all being orchestrated through concerted social media propaganda from across the border. We appeal to the people of Kashmir that they should maintain calm and they should allow security forces, who are their friends only and not enemies, to allow them to do their respective jobs," he said. According to sources, Pakistan was responsible for the violence in Budgam yesterday, which witnessed an encounter as well as a major incident of stone-pelting in which three civilians were killed and 60 security personnel sustained injuries. The Kashmiri locals are being tormented and brain washed by the separatist leaders of Pakistan and Kashmir and it is the Army and the Paramilitary Force that are protecting and safeguarding the people there, while the Centre and state government are monitoring the situation, sources add. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to express his grief over the death of the civilians, however, made no mention of the injured soldiers. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) also stated that yesterday's encounter with militants in Budgam was a particularly different one, as they had to fight it on two different levels- against militants and the stone pelting locals as well. Earlier yesterday, three stone pelters were killed in retaliatory firing by security forces near the site of the Budgam encounter. 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 have been injured in the firing by forces. The security forces had launched a search operation following a tipoff about the presence of terrorists, which then became an encounter. (ANI)