Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that family members and close relatives of militants and stone pelters in Jammu and Kashmir will not be eligible for government jobs.
In an interview with PTI, Shah said the Modi government was committed to “eliminating the terror ecosystem”, which has led to a “reduction in terror incidents across the country”.
“In Kashmir, we have taken a decision that if someone joins a terrorist organization, their family members will not get any government job,” Shah stated. He added, “Similarly, if someone indulges in stone pelting, his family members will also not get a government job.”
Shah said that human rights activists had challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, but the government ultimately prevailed. However, he noted an exception: if a family member informs the authorities about a relative joining a terror outfit, the family will be granted relief.
Shah also highlighted changes in handling the aftermath of militant deaths. “Earlier, funeral processions used to be taken out in Kashmir after a terrorist was killed. We have stopped this trend. We have ensured that the terrorist is buried with all religious formalities but in an isolated place,” he said.
When security forces corner an insurgent, Shah explained, they offer a chance to surrender by involving the insurgent’s family members. “We call family members like his mother or wife and ask them to make an appeal to the terrorist to surrender. If he does not listen, he dies,” he said.
The Home Minister said that “terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir have significantly decreased”. As per the Union Home Ministry data, in 2018, there were 228 militant-initiated incidents, which dropped to around 50 in 2023. Encounters between security forces and militants also declined from 189 in 2018 to around 40 in 2023. Civilian deaths due to militant incidents fell from 55 in 2018 to around five in 2023, and security personnel fatalities decreased from 91 in 2018 to around 15 in 2023.
“Through the NIA (National Investigation Agency), we have taken strong action against terror funding and ended it. We have taken a very tough stand on terror funding,” Shah said.
He also discussed the government’s actions against several groups, such as the ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in September 2022, and the detention of pro-Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh under the National Security Act (NSA).
