Altaf Ahmad Khan received Gallantry Award from the army on 26th January, 2012 and later a President’s Police Medal for Gallantry on India’s 66th Independence day.
On the other hand Waseem Qadri the Incharge Additional SP of Bandipora, who was investigating fake encounter case involving Army has been transferred and demoted to the Deputy Superintendent Police after he was allegedly found guilty of leaking information about the case to the local media. Qadir was tasked to investigate the alleged fake encounter of Hilal Ahmad Dar, 22, whom army claimed was killed during an encounter in North Kashmir Bandipora district. Army claimed to have recovered one AK-47 assault rifle from near his body. However family of the deceased, maintained, that Dar was taken into custody and later shot dead in cold blood. The killing evoked massive protest in the area and the Valley observed shutdown on the call of separatists. In wake of Qadri’s alleged involvement in leaking the information to the local press regarding army role in staging the encounter in which Dar was shot dead in cold blood, Director General of Police, Ashok Prasad has instructed officials not to speak to media on various issues including investigation and anti-militancy operations. According to sources, Prasad expressed his unhappiness over the ‘leak’ of information to media in Dar’s alleged ‘fake killing’ case. He is said to have categorically instructed officials not to reveal any information to the press, come what may.
New Systems In Place On BORDER
Geological Survey of India (GSI) has always operated in J&K but now it had an additional job which is comparatively tough. It has to scan entire International Border (IB) with Pakistan in J&K to ensure there are no tunnels underneath. Its experts associated with the exercise have already sought certain specialized equipment to start the scan which might take a lot of time.
In J&K, India runs a border of 1049 kms with Pakistan. While 199 kms are the international border (IB) between Pakistani Punjab and J&K, 740 kms are Line of Control (LoC) with PoK and the rest 110 kms are the actual ground position line (AGPL) on Siachen heights. It was the IB where a tunnel was detected accidently on July 27 in Chechwal village at RS Pora that triggered a lot of investigations at various levels. Certain basic investigations were carried out by the BSF and then the GSI took over.
GSI dispatched its experts from Lucknow. Using machines, they traced the tunnel 540 meters inside the Indian territory. The tunnel does originate from the zero line. Meticulously laid 25 ft below the surface, the tunnel is 3 x 3.5 ft wide. Initially some pipes were traced in the tunnel suggesting they were used for air supply. Later some water bottles were also traced in the tunnel. However, nobody knows the age of the tunnel and its purpose. The area is notorious for smuggling.
Though BSF have already scanned the entire IB between Kathua to Akhnoor sector but to be doubly sure they want GSI help. GSI has already deployed its men and they are in the process of transporting it machinery from GSI’s Hyderabad station.
The tunnel area, it is interesting to mention, is the main hiring ground for moles who work on the other side of the border and manage basic human intelligence. These people who risk their lives for being moles usually run smuggling cartels as well. Samba-RS Pora belt is the main smuggling track between Lahore and J&K and everything from beer to wine is the currency. Last year, police killed a couple of known smuggler in the belt.
Discovery of the tunnel has added to the security concerns. While the fence has largely prevented the infiltration, the tunnel could be a new weapon. Use of tunnels under
