Social media is playing a key role in radicalising the youth in Kashmir, Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat said on Friday and stressed that the Indian army is taking appropriate steps to contain the upsurge.
He was speaking to journalists at the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre after presenting the President's Colours to two battalions.
He maintained that Pakistan was supporting the Kashmiri militants and said steps were being taken to address people's problems. Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India. Those who want their concerns addressed must accept the Constitution of India, he added.
On infiltration, he said Kashmir with its thick forests, rivulets and rivers made cross-border infiltration easy. The Indian army is doing its best to curb infiltration, but the Pakistani army supports infiltrators by engaging Indian troops, he added.
Asserting that Kashmiris are fellow Indians, he claimed that there had been no instances of human rights violations by the army in the past few years. He, however, promised action if any soldier is found guilty of professional misconduct.
Speaking of Dokalam, he said Indian and Chinese armies were maintaining a reasonable distance and there is no face-to-face contact between them.
General Rawat said steps had been taken to de-stress soldiers posted on the frontline. Every soldier has a buddy whom they can open up to, he said and urged his men to desist from extreme steps like suicide. He added that the army was getting funds for new equipment that were required to check infiltration.
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