There have been reports that people from the Kashmiri Pandit community working in the valley are in a state of panic after the threat by terror group. After Lashkar-supported group threatens to kill 56 Kashmiri Pandits, Centre reviews J&K security situation

Days after The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, threatened to kill Kashmiri Pandits, the Centre on Tuesday reviewed the security arrangements for the minorities in the Valley. The high-level security review meeting was chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and also attended by other senior officials of the ministry, paramilitary forces, the Jammu and Kashmir administration and police.

The matter of providing security to Pandits and non-locals was discussed. Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence Bureau and paramilitary officials apprised the Centre of the threat and the steps being taken, according to a top functionary.

The officials told ANI that the Home Secretary was apprised about the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and other issues pertaining to the Union Territory.

The meeting lasted for over two-and-a-half hours in the Ministry of Home Affairs in a hybrid mode with senior officials in the ministry joining it in the presence of Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Research and Analysis Wing chief Samant Kumar Goel, National Investigation Agency Director General Dinkar Gupta and Director General of Police Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen was also present in the meeting that started around 12:30 pm. Senior Jammu and Kashmir Police and administration officials attended the meeting via video conference.

There have been reports that people from the Kashmiri Pandit community working in the valley are in a state of panic after a terrorist group released a "hit list" of 56 employees from among them.

A blog linked to The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, published the list of 56 Kashmiri Pandit employees who were recruited under the Prime Minister's Rehabilitation Package (PMRP), and warned of mounting attacks on them.

In the aftermath of targeted killings by terrorists, several Kashmiri Pandits employed in the valley under the PMRP have shifted to Jammu and are on a protest for over 200 days demanding relocation of the rest of them.

There have been sporadic incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir in recent months that include attacks on innocent civilians, security personnel and infiltration bids from across the border, officials said.

The government had informed Parliament that as many as 118 civilians, including five Kashmiri Pandits and 16 other Hindus and Sikhs, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 till July 2022.

The killings of Kashmiri Pandits had triggered protests by the members of the community and they demanded enhanced security and transfer of government employees to safer locations. In May, four Hindu pilgrims were killed and at least 20 injured when their bus caught fire near Katra in Jammu. Police suspect a sticky bomb might have been used to trigger the fire.

Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated on August 5, 2019 and the state was divided into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.