With unrest showing signs of spreading to Anantnag and Sopore, Home Minister P Chidambaram is expected to discuss the security situation in Kashmir with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on July 6 with both sides discussing avenues to open political space to counter secessionist-instigated violence in the Valley.

While Abdullah scored brownie points by asking for CRPF withdrawal from Baramulla after a youth died in firing on June 30, a little-known fact is that the rattled CM also called for Army to control the situation in the border town within 12 hours of the withdrawal announcement. Abdullah, top government sources told The Sunday Express, called for the Army after Director General K S Khoda made it clear that he needed back-up for the state police as the situation was out of control.

The Centre is expected to hold candid discussions with the CM as the CRPF has now virtually decided that its troopers will not open fire on the agitating crowds until the local magistrate gave the order in writing. This was done after the state police deputy superintendent leading the CRPF patrol in Baramulla first apparently gave orders to fire at the agitating crowd on June 30 and later denied it. It was on this basis that a murder FIR was registered against the CRPF personnel without any post-mortem being conducted on the victims of firing.

The situation in the Valley has come to such a pass that two days ago, the CRPF notified the Centre that it was vacating one street in Sopore as the state police were not coming to its support and the locals were throwing stones and boiling water on the forces. A similar situation is developing in Anantnag where the local secessionists are giving a twist to the death of a youth, who allegedly drowned in a boat capsizing incident.

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