SRINAGAR: Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka will arrive in Jammu on a two-day visit to conduct a high-level review of the security situation in the Union Territory, with a particular focus on the Jammu region, border management and ongoing anti-terror operations in mountainous areas, reports appearing in the media said.
Top officials said the Union Home Secretary-led delegation will hold an extensive security review meeting at the Police Headquarters in Jammu soon after their arrival. A visit to the International Border for an on-the-spot assessment of the ground situation is also part of the proposed itinerary. The visiting officials are scheduled to return to New Delhi on the afternoon of January 15.
The high-level meeting will be attended by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, UT Home Secretary Chandraker Bharti, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Intelligence chief Nitish Kumar, senior officers from Police Headquarters, intelligence and security wings, Inspector Generals of Police from both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, heads of paramilitary forces and senior officers of central intelligence agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau.
According to officials, the meeting will focus on an in-depth review of counter-terror operations in hilly districts of the Jammu region such as Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua and Udhampur, where security forces are pursuing outlaws, including foreign militants. Sources said security forces have established contact with militant groups multiple times in recent weeks, though the militants managed to escape on most occasions.
Anti-infiltration measures and further strengthening of the anti-infiltration grid are also expected to be reviewed during the meeting. Officials said the visiting central team is likely to assess the effectiveness of existing border management mechanisms and suggest additional measures in view of evolving threats.
The visit of the Union Home Secretary and other senior officials comes less than a week after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi on January 8. That meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies and top civil and police officials of the Union Territory.
During the January 8 review, Shah had appreciated the efforts of security agencies in strengthening the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir and stressed that counter-terror operations targeting terrorist infrastructure and terror financing must continue in a mission mode. He reiterated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government remains committed to ensuring lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir and completely eliminating terrorism from the region.
