News of SIMI encounter to enhance morale of nation: Jitendra

Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said the killing of eight SIMI activists in Bhopal hours after they escaped from a high-security prison is going to enhance the morale of the nation that "we are safe and secure".
"The news (killing of 8 SIMI activists) is going to enhance the morale of the nation that we are safe and secure as our security agencies have capacity and capability to beat any challenge," Singh told reporters here.
Eight SIMI activists were today killed in an alleged encounter with police in Madhya Pradesh hours after they escaped from the high-security Bhopal Central Jail killing a security guard.

The Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office said, "This (SIMI encounter) is again the reinforcement of our confidence in the capabilities and the capacities of the (PM Narendra) Modi government at the Centre and the respective state governments."
Replying to another question about allegations of Congress and AAP terming this as "fake encounter", Singh said, "I don't think that deserves any response for the simple reasons that we live in evidence based era."
"Somebody is saying something and it is not that we take it as it is, and even those who says something will not carry weight for much too long and therefore, we have to go by what evidence says," he said.

"The Modi government has given us approach of clarity and therefore there is clarity in whatever decision is taken, there is no ambiguity about it," he said.

On the repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan, he said that he had visited border villages, security forces are patrolling the areas and that security forces have a high degree of morale while on the duty along Indo-Pak border.
"We are worried about our jawans but the jawans told us that we are happy to defend our country. This is a noble deed that has been given to us to defend our country and the borders," he said.

"It was atrocious on the part of Pakistan to mutilate the body of a jawan, this is the lesson for so-called human rights activists who need to take a call on it, they should open their eyes and see the kind of human rights violations by Pakistan," he said.
(REOPENS DES32)
On the burning down of schools in Kashmir Valley, Singh said, "I think all of us must understand and those who refuse to understand will sooner or later be made to understand that this kind of mayhem cannot be carried for a long."
"The common man in Kashmir and on streets of Srinagar, particularly the common youth, does not wish this disturbance to continue," he said.

"Common youth wants to be a beneficiary of enormous schemes of development initiated by Prime Minister Modi in J&K and the rest of the country," he said.
"The youths of the rest of the country are taking benefits of these schemes and, therefore, I think in the largest interest of the country and the state this turbulence needs to come to an end as parents and children are fed up of it, we cannot afford to carry on like this before we have a children of separatists fold," he said.
On the issue of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), the Union Minister said the community was essential stakeholder in any future road map on Kashmir.

"KPs resolved the problems of India in the past and if there is any Kashmir problem, it will be resolved by KPs only," he said after giving away awards to teenage KP boys and girls of 'Kashir Kalakar' pre-finals here.
"Why are people keeping out KPs from any talks on the future on Kashmir? It is neither good for the state nor for the country," he said.
"As an educated society and intellectual community, it is a challenge for you (KPs). People are resorting to politics over it. We have to fight it strongly. Intellectual and academics of the community need to create new literature.

"First, who started the chorus of return of awards -- 'award awapis' campaign -- was a Kashmiri Pandit women writer. She did not return award when her own community was forced out of the Valley and when they were worst victims of human rights violation but (she) returned it on something else. We have to fight them," he said.
Athrot is an organisation of Kashmiri Pandit artists dedicated to promote young talent and managed by veteran artist Kanwal Peshin. The grand finale of 'Kashir Kalakar' will be held on November 5.