Indian premier holds emergency meeting over anti-govt. protests in Kashmir

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held an emergency meeting to discuss intensifying violence in Kashmir after nearly 30 people were killed in protests over the killing of a popular rebel leader.

According to the reports, India’s Minister of State Jitendra Singh said Modi has "appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain calm and peace so that normality returns in the valley.”

The emergency meeting was attended by ministers of home affairs, external affairs, finance, defense, along with the national security adviser and senior security officials.

“Soon after returning from his four-nation tour on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister convened the high-level meeting. This is evidence that he was keeping a close tab on the situation of Jammu and Kashmir,” Singh further said.

He said Modi has promised to provide any assistance to the violence-hit state and hoped that innocent people should not face inconvenience.

The clashes came after residents of Kashmir held a funeral for separatist Burhan Wani, the young leader of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), who was killed on July 8 along with two other people during a brief gun battle with government forces.

During the past five years, Wani had become the iconic face of militancy in Kashmir, using social media to reach out to young people in the region.

SS