Chidambaram hits out at separatists over killing of Shopian girl

Condemning the killing of a young girl by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said when an incident like this takes place, separatists find no place to hide their faces.

Condemning the killing of a young girl by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said when an incident like this takes place, separatists find no place to hide their faces.

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"They (separatists) are obviously embarrassed. They do not know where to hide their faces when incidents like this
takes place. That is why they don't speak," Chidambaram said when asked about the reaction of separatists to the killing of Sheeraza Akhtar on Tuesday.

Recalling past incidents when militants killed young girls, infant and villagers, he said they were innocent children pursuing their studies.

"The militants go to their houses, ask for them and shoot at point blank range. This shows that the militants have no ethics. I condemn this incident," he said, adding it was strange that no organisation has claimed responsibility yet.

The Home Minister said, on the contrary, at the slightest provocation, the separatists accuse the security forces of committing atrocities on common people. "They accuse security forces of doing this or that or committing this
atrocity or that atrocity".

Chidambaram said he was not defending any atrocity by any one and was ready to take action if security forces exceed their brief.

"We will certainly condemn that also. But these are school going children. They have got aspirations, they have
got ambitions, parents have ambitions for them, why kill these children," he told Times Now news channel.