Eight days after 40 CRPF jawans were killed in a terror attack in Pulwama, the Centre on Friday rushed in 100 additional companies of paramilitary forces to Kashmir on an 'urgent' basis.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has ordered for the additional deployment of 100 companies of paramilitary forces, which comprise 45 companies of CRPF, 35 from BSF and 10 each from SSB and ITBP.
The crackdown in the Valley continued on Friday, with raids being conducted on separatist leaders. JKLF chief Yasin Malik was arrested from his residence on Friday night, following which dozens of Jama'at-e-Islami (JeI) leaders, including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, were held across the Valley.
Top police officials termed the raids as "preparations for the Lok Sabha elections", even as former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti criticised the action, saying one could imprison a person "but not his ideas".