National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who has been camping in Kashmir Valley for the past week, on Saturday went for a 'dekko' to an Eid mandi in Anantnag where sheep were being sold for Monday's Eid celebrations.
Camping here since August 6, a day after the Centre revoked the provisions of Article 370, which gave special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, Doval had on Friday toured the sensitive downtown Srinagar and interacted with locals and security personnel.
The NSA, who has been spending time visiting all the areas that were known as hotbeds of separatists, enquired from the animal traders about the weight and price of the sheep being sold for Eid ul Adha, when animals are sacrificed.
"Kitney ka hai, kya khilatey ho (How much is the price of each sheep, what do you feed them)," Doval is heard asking the men, who were apparently unaware of who he was.
One trader answered that the sheep were priced around Rs 10,000 for a 35 kg weight animal.
He then asked where the sheep were brought from, to which one trader answered "We have brought them from Drass, Kargil."
"How many sheep did you bring?," Doval enquired of one trader, to which he answered, "Around 40-50." I sold 20," he said.
Doval quipped, "That means you sold around Rs 2 lakh worth sheep.. Not bad."
A government official accompanying Doval said that around 2,000 sheep were brought to the mandi, and around 1,000 were left.
Doval then wished the traders "Eid mubarak".
The government official asked the men, "Do you know who he is? This is National Security Advisor Doval Sahab."
On Friday, the NSA, accompanied by his aides and senior police officers, visited the Eidgah locality and stopped at various places to interact with locals. He later talked to police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and thanked them for their wonderful work in maintaining law and order.
Earlier on Wednesday, the NSA was seen eating food with locals on a footpath with shuttered shops in the background. He is reaching out to the local population in the Valley as a confidence building measure.
(WIth inputs from agencies)
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