KL Desk
Srinagar
In an apparent bid to induce confidence among the village panchayat members, police on Monday said it has begun an exercise of identifying the areas where beefing up of the security cover was inevitable.
“We are reviewing the arrangements and would increase the patrolling and vigil in certain areas, besides keeping a close eye elsewhere”, Director General Police Ashok Prasad told KNS on Monday.
He said that although it wasn’t possible for the government to provide security on individual basis to the huge number of panches and sarpanches, however, he added that if situation demanded so, they will approach the central government in this regard.
“We have limited resources and manpower. If the situation demands for individual security cover, we will take up matter with the centre”, the DGP said, adding that the attackers of the Panchs and Sarpanchs in Sopore have been active only for the last six months.
Prasad refused to accept that militants were trying to display their strength adding that the graph of militancy has gone down considerably while police was working on a strategy to bring the collateral loses to zero. “This is not true that militancy is regaining its momentum. You compare today’s situation with that of 90’s, you will see the difference. What we are working at is to not only to minimize the collateral loses but bring it down to zero”, asserted the DGP. He said that unlike 90s militants were no more enjoying public support or sympathy. The militants are more often carrying out actions on individual level rather than at organizational level, he added.
Ashok Prasad however refused to comment on the current situation at the Line of Control, saying that the matter did not fall within his jurisdiction. “I am concerned with what happens inside this part of LoC. There are security forces to take care of the situation there”, he said.
He however refused to confirm that militants have made their way into this side of LoC taking advantage of the cross LoC firing in Ponch sector. “We haven’t received any such inputs as yet. If at all, they do come, we will chalk out our strategy.”
In response to a question whether Jammu and Kashmir Police was prepared to face the threat of Taliban entering the state post American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the DGP said, “These issues are of National domain, and when such situation arises, we frame the policies at National level.” He however said that the JKP was a trained and well qualified force and was prepared to meet any eventuality.
