SRINAGAR: Police on Sunday claimed to have killed a top commander of an armed group during an operation in southern parts of India-held Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbagh Singh said that Munna Bihari, a commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad group, was killed with a local associate after a nightlong operation in Shopian town.

He claimed the commander was known for bomb-making and a series of civilian killings and attacks on the military in the disputed Himalayan region.

Jaish-e-Mohammad was blamed for a February car bombing on a paramilitary convoy that killed 40 Indian soldiers in the deadliest attack on troops in recent history. The attack brought Pakistan and India close to another war.

Meanwhile, tensions in the India-held region rose on Sunday over the deployment of at least 10,000 paramilitary troops despite the authorities’ assertions the move was routine.

India maintains a deployment of 500,000 soldiers in the region, which has seen a resurgence of hostilities in recent years, while locals are fearful about the loss of special privileges after India’s Supreme Court last year began hearing a case challenging a constitutional provision.

Officials said the movement of troops — set to involve a total of 20,000 personnel — was meant to relieve exhausted personnel deployed since local elections last year and now monitoring an annual Hindu pilgrimage.

“Troops have been working constantly for seven months. Some have to go on leave and some for training outside,” Dilbagh Singh said.

“We have requisitioned for 200 companies [20,000 troops], more might arrive.”

A senior security official said the deployment was to guard against possible protests about a decision or event, without giving further details.

He added that India’s security set-up in Kashmir was “being re-oriented like never before”.

Locals said they were worried Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government wanted to set aside a constitutional provision — Article 35A — which would allow Indians from outside the disputed territory to buy land there.

The deployment follows the uproar sparked by US President Donald Trump after he claimed during a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan that Modi had asked him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2019