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Srinagar, Aug 04: The Ministry of Home Affairs Wednesday said that government has intensified cordon and search operations to effectively deal with the challenges posed by the militant organisations in J&K and a total of 630 militants were killed since 2018 till June 2021.

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Niyanand Rai was replying to questions including the number of encounters that have been place between govt forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir from May 2018 to June, 2021 and the number of security personnel killed in these encounters in the said period and the number of militants killed by the security forces?

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha the MoS Home said that the Government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards militancy and has taken various measures, such as strengthening of security apparatus, strict enforcement of law against anti-national elements. “Government has intensified cordon and search operations to effectively deal with the challenges posed by the militant organisations”, reads the reply.

It reads that the forces also keep a close watch on persons who attempt to provide support to militants and initiate action against them.

“Jammu and Kashmir has been affected by militant violence that is sponsored and supported from across the border”, the reply reads. About the figures from 2018 to June 2021, the MoS said that a total of 400 encounters have taken place in which 85 security forces lost their lives while 630 militants were killed in Jammu and Kashmir.