However, several trade bodies including the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) opted out of the meeting. He said trade bodies have demanded that security officials should be made accountable for the killing of civilians and pellet guns banned. Major trade bodies of Kashmir skipped a meeting with Union home minister Rajnath Singh who arrived here on a two-day visit on Saturday, sixteen days after the killing of a militant leader sparked large-scale violence in the Valley. Around 2,000 people including children as young as four have been injured, most of them by pellet guns, fanning allegations of excesses by security forces. Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level security meeting besides one-on-one interaction with governor NN Vohra and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Source: Hindustan Times July 23, 2016 14:03 UTC