Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday tests positive for Coronavirus. Sources said he has been admitted to Medanta hospital, located in Haryana's Gurugram near Delhi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah tests positive for COVID-19

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha said that NRC will be organised in all over the country.

Opposition Opposed to Nationwide NRC; Amit Shah in Favour

The topic of the situations in Kashmir raised in the upper house of the Parliament that is Rajya Sabha. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah speak out in the upper house on the Kashmir situations. Let's listen to him...

Indian HM Amit Shah speak out in the upper house on the Kashmir situations

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre will not bring any change in Article 371, which is a "special" provision and said that the people of northeast should not believe the opposition's propaganda in this regard.

Amit Shah: Centre not thinking of altering Article 371

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday held a high-level meeting at Parliament to review the law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir amid terror threat. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Home Secretary Rajeev Gauba were present at the meeting. Watch this video to know more.

J&K: Indian Home minister Amit Shah chairs high-level meeting

India carried out 3-cross border strikes in 5 years: Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh

After much soul-searching, the Indian government has reportedly found an alternative to the pellet guns that have left such mayhem in their wake in the state of Kashmir -- chilli-filled PAVA (Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide) grenades. The euphemistically-called &quot;pellet guns&quot; are basically shotguns, and have blinded hundreds of protesters over the last seven weeks. 
 
Kashmir has been on the boil ever since July 8 when the Indian army killed the militant separatist and South Kashmir&nbsp;Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Mass protests broke out the following morning and have continued ever since. And as many as 400,000 people attended Wani&#39;s funeral. 
 
The government&#39;s decision however has not found favour with the central reserve police force (CRPF), which has been at the forefront of dealing with the unrest in the Valley. 
 
Trying to put the humane face of the government forward, home minister Rajnath Singh had declared in Srinagar on Thursday that the Centre was keen on finding an alternative to the pellet guns. &quot;When I came here last time I said I&#39;ve set up an expert committee, which will submit its report in two months... I want to inform you that one month has passed and within three-four days expert committee will submit its report. Within a few days we will give alternative to the pellet gun,&quot; Singh had said. 
 
Sources say the committee zeroed in on the chilli-filled PAVA grenades since simulation tests of the munition have been carried out even on children as young as 12 and that they have &quot;proved to be safe&quot;. The grenades have been under trial for over a year now at the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory, in Lucknow. 
 
Sources close to the committee said it has recommended that the Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Gwalior be tasked with bulk production of shells -- the chilli can also be inserted into shells -- &nbsp;&quot;immediately&quot;, with the first lot produced being no less than 50,000 rounds. 
 
PAVA is categorised as &quot;above peak&quot; on the Scoville scale, meaning it will severely irritate and paralyse humans, but temporarily. 
 
Once fired, the shells burst and temporarily stun and immobilise their targets in a &quot;more effective way&quot; than tear or pepper gas. The panel noted that PAVA is &quot;biosafe, better than chilli grenade or tear smoke shell and can also be used in combination with stun and tear shells&quot; by security forces. The committee is also understood to have recommended the supply of a few other non-lethal/ less-lethal munitions. 
 
 
Too soon, says the CRPF 
 
The CRPF however thinks the announcement has come too soon and without any proper preparation. &quot;We are not yet ready for any other alternative yet. It is one thing to espouse ban on pellet guns and another to be on the streets and face bloodthirsty mobs of hundreds. The pellet guns are the least lethal weapon we can use to handle such mobs that are ready to overrun police stations and secure camps,&quot; said a senior CRPF official. 
 
CRPF officials, who are handling the situation on the ground in the Valley, say these alternatives are going to be of little use against the fury of the crowd and are not foolproof against overzealous mobs that use their knowledge of the local geography to their advantage. &quot;Committed agitators who are ready to risk their lives will find ways to outwit the alternatives. In such a scenario we may have to turn back to the safety of regular service weapons that will increase casualty rate,&quot; said the official. 
 
From July 9 to August 11, the CRPF fired over 3,000 pellet cartridges containing 1.6 million pellets. Pellet or shotguns were first brought to Kashmir by duck-hunting Englismen. They have caused a number of fatalities since they were reintroduced in the Valley in 2010 and have blinded hundreds. 
 
(Wion, this story first appeared on the DNA website)&nbsp;

The grenades stun and render their targets immobile for a few minutes but the police say they're still not keen on giving up pellet guns

After much soul-searching, the Indian government has reportedly found an alternative to the pellet guns that have left such mayhem in their wake in the state of Kashmir -- chilli-filled PAVA (Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide) grenades. The euphemistically-called "pellet guns" are basically shotguns, and have blinded hundreds of protesters over the last seven weeks. Kashmir has been on the boil ever since July 8 when the Indian army killed the militant separatist and South Kashmir Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Mass protests broke out the following morning and have continued ever since. And as many as 400,000 people attended Wani's funeral. The government's decision however has not found favour with the central reserve police force (CRPF), which has been at the forefront of dealing with the unrest in the Valley. Trying to put the humane face of the government forward, home minister Rajnath Singh had declared in Srinagar on Thursday that the Centre was keen on finding an alternative to the pellet guns. "When I came here last time I said I've set up an expert committee, which will submit its report in two months... I want to inform you that one month has passed and within three-four days expert committee will submit its report. Within a few days we will give alternative to the pellet gun," Singh had said. Sources say the committee zeroed in on the chilli-filled PAVA grenades since simulation tests of the munition have been carried out even on children as young as 12 and that they have "proved to be safe". The grenades have been under trial for over a year now at the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory, in Lucknow. Sources close to the committee said it has recommended that the Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Gwalior be tasked with bulk production of shells -- the chilli can also be inserted into shells -- "immediately", with the first lot produced being no less than 50,000 rounds. PAVA is categorised as "above peak" on the Scoville scale, meaning it will severely irritate and paralyse humans, but temporarily. Once fired, the shells burst and temporarily stun and immobilise their targets in a "more effective way" than tear or pepper gas. The panel noted that PAVA is "biosafe, better than chilli grenade or tear smoke shell and can also be used in combination with stun and tear shells" by security forces. The committee is also understood to have recommended the supply of a few other non-lethal/ less-lethal munitions. Too soon, says the CRPF The CRPF however thinks the announcement has come too soon and without any proper preparation. "We are not yet ready for any other alternative yet. It is one thing to espouse ban on pellet guns and another to be on the streets and face bloodthirsty mobs of hundreds. The pellet guns are the least lethal weapon we can use to handle such mobs that are ready to overrun police stations and secure camps," said a senior CRPF official. CRPF officials, who are handling the situation on the ground in the Valley, say these alternatives are going to be of little use against the fury of the crowd and are not foolproof against overzealous mobs that use their knowledge of the local geography to their advantage. "Committed agitators who are ready to risk their lives will find ways to outwit the alternatives. In such a scenario we may have to turn back to the safety of regular service weapons that will increase casualty rate," said the official. From July 9 to August 11, the CRPF fired over 3,000 pellet cartridges containing 1.6 million pellets. Pellet or shotguns were first brought to Kashmir by duck-hunting Englismen. They have caused a number of fatalities since they were reintroduced in the Valley in 2010 and have blinded hundreds. (Wion, this story first appeared on the DNA website)

India finds alternative to Kashmir pellet guns: Chilli-filled grenades

By Manan Kumar 
 
In a bid to sympathise with the unrest in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, union home minister Rajnath Singh is all set to visit the Valley yet again for two days. 
 
Through this visit, which comes a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s&nbsp;statement expressing &quot;deep concern and pain&quot; at the prevailing&nbsp;situation in Kashmir and an appeal for a dialogue, the Centre is hopeful of at least initiating the process of political outreach that has so far eluded it. 
 
However, Kashmir observers within the government have little hopes from the visit, which they think is ill-timed unless the home minister comes out with a significant announcement like the ban of pellet guns. 
 
Pending a big announcement, chances are that his reception may elicit&nbsp;lukewarm response, much below the expectations he generated during his earlier visit in July, said sources. The possibility of any meeting with Hurriyat leaders was is not possible after the Prime Minister&#39;s clear message of finding a permanent and lasting solution to the problem within the framework of the Constitution, they said. 
 
Before planning his sudden visit, Singh had met people from the civil society, including some Kashmiri scholars, on two consecutive days to discuss ways to tackle the vexed issue. Nearly all had suggested him to completely ban pellet guns. 
 
A couple of days ago, Singh had also said, &quot;I want to tell the people of Kashmir that we not only love the land of Kashmir but also its people.&quot; 
 
The news so far from Kashmir, however, is not so encouraging for Singh as organisations like the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, Kashmir Economic Alliance, Writers&#39; Association, Kashmir High Court Bar Association and Fruit Growers&#39; Association have already shown disinterest in meeting the home minister. 
 
To give the home minister&#39;s visit a semblance of achieving something, J&amp;K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti&#39;s office is working overtime to cajole and coax organisations to meet him. &quot;The response so far is feeble,&quot; said sources. 
 
Unable to spell out Singh&#39;s itinerary in Srinagar, ministry sources said that the visit is an extension of his earlier July visit when the home minister had clearly said that he would keep coming to the state. 
 
Besides meeting Mehbooba Mufti, governor N N Vohra and top officials from the civil administration, he is also expected to review the overall&nbsp;security situation in Kashmir that is showing signs of further deterioration amid resignations by state police personnel. 
 
(DNA)

Kashmir observers within the government have little hopes from the visit, which they think is ill-timed

By Manan Kumar In a bid to sympathise with the unrest in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, union home minister Rajnath Singh is all set to visit the Valley yet again for two days. Through this visit, which comes a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement expressing "deep concern and pain" at the prevailing situation in Kashmir and an appeal for a dialogue, the Centre is hopeful of at least initiating the process of political outreach that has so far eluded it. However, Kashmir observers within the government have little hopes from the visit, which they think is ill-timed unless the home minister comes out with a significant announcement like the ban of pellet guns. Pending a big announcement, chances are that his reception may elicit lukewarm response, much below the expectations he generated during his earlier visit in July, said sources. The possibility of any meeting with Hurriyat leaders was is not possible after the Prime Minister's clear message of finding a permanent and lasting solution to the problem within the framework of the Constitution, they said. Before planning his sudden visit, Singh had met people from the civil society, including some Kashmiri scholars, on two consecutive days to discuss ways to tackle the vexed issue. Nearly all had suggested him to completely ban pellet guns. A couple of days ago, Singh had also said, "I want to tell the people of Kashmir that we not only love the land of Kashmir but also its people." The news so far from Kashmir, however, is not so encouraging for Singh as organisations like the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, Kashmir Economic Alliance, Writers' Association, Kashmir High Court Bar Association and Fruit Growers' Association have already shown disinterest in meeting the home minister. To give the home minister's visit a semblance of achieving something, J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's office is working overtime to cajole and coax organisations to meet him. "The response so far is feeble," said sources. Unable to spell out Singh's itinerary in Srinagar, ministry sources said that the visit is an extension of his earlier July visit when the home minister had clearly said that he would keep coming to the state. Besides meeting Mehbooba Mufti, governor N N Vohra and top officials from the civil administration, he is also expected to review the overall security situation in Kashmir that is showing signs of further deterioration amid resignations by state police personnel. (DNA)