Locals, ignoring a recent warning by the army chief, pelted stones at security forces when the latter cordoned off a village looking for militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday. The army chief’s statement triggered outrage in the Valley with opposition parties as well as separatists claiming such remark would escalate tension in the state. “They were pelting stones occasionally at the security forces when they were doing their job. A local news agency in Srinagar, however, reported that the security forces had to withdraw the operation after facing “stiff resistance” from locals. Read| Parrikar backs army chief’s comment on Kashmiris, says military has ‘full freedom’

Source: Hindustan Times February 18, 2017 16:41 UTC