Home Minister Rajnath Singh has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to move all juveniles, arrested for alleged stone petling and other unlawful activities, from jails to remand homes and review their cases sympathetically, officials said.
The decision is considered to be an attempt to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the central government after the appointment of Dineshwar Sharma as the Centre’s special representative to initiate talks with all stakeholders.
The issue was discussedin detail at Wednesday’s meeting of the core group on Kashmir, chaired by the union home minister and attended by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, where it was decided to ask the Jammu and Kashmir government to work on the cases of juveniles.
After the core group meeting, the Jammu and Kashmir government has been asked to shift all juveniles, who were arrested for pelting stones and other crimes, to remand homes and review their cases sympathetically, a home ministry, privy to the development.
The state government is expected to take the initiative to shift the juveniles to remand homes and review their cases soon, the official said.
Top officials of ministries of home and defence, chiefs of intelligence agencies, besides Sharma also attended the meeting.
The Centre’s special representative also briefed the union home minister and others about his first round of talks he had with various sections of the society there last week.
Sharma will again visit the state soonto continue his mission of holding a sustained dialogue process.