KL Report
SRINAGAR
The Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajindra Saturday said the militants who attacked the police post in Jammu region yesterday were the non-locals who infiltrated the border to carry out their activities.
Talking to KNS, the state Police chief claimed that around 170 to 180 militants were operating in Jammu and Kashmir at present.
“Militants are making every attempt to go for the local recruitments. They are making local recruitments in Kashmir valley. They also make attempts to seek local support. Though the number is not large as such, there are the reports of locals joining the militant ranks,” the DGP said, adding that the police is trying to counsel the youth and their parents not to fall in the trap.
Commenting over Friday’s militant attack in Kathua in which a civilian and three forces personnel were killed when two heavily-armed militants stormed a police station before being gunned down, the DGP said the bodies of the slain militants have not been identified and it is being presumed that they have come from across the border.
“There are no claimants and the prima facie has also revealed that the duo have crossed the border to carry out their activities in the state,” he said.
Rajendra, however, refused to comment over the reports that the militants might have got locals help in the area, saying the investigations of the gun battle are going on and nothing could be said till the process gets completed. “We cannot come out with the certain facts till the inquiry into the incident gets completed. Investigation is a time consuming process and it may take some time to complete,” he said.
The DGP added that the attack carried on Friday was similar to the previous attacks witnessed in the region and that police will take all measures to neutralize any such attempts made in future. “If we go by the records, this is the fifth attack in the region since 2013. We need to anticipate- there is a need to anticipate over the incidents,” he remarked.
Claiming that with the melting of snow, the militants would try to infiltrate, the state police chief maintained that the effective and efficient anti infiltration system has neutralized most of the militants before even entering into the state. “We have an effective anti- infiltration system that has neutralized the militants much before they could start their activities,” he said.
