Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 31: The outgoing Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Ashok Prasad, who is taking over as head of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in New Delhi, today said that militancy, infiltration and violence levels in the State have gone down over the years.
Prasad told reporters, on the sidelines of his farewell function in Srinagar, that the violence levels in past two years have been lowest since 1990 when militancy erupted in the State.
“If you see since 1990, the levels of violence have remained less in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, 112 and last year 114 incidents of violence occurred in the State. The level of militancy has also gone down”, said Prasad.
The outgoing DGP gave full credit to the people of the State for helping the security forces to bring the militancy and violence levels down. “It is because of cooperation by public whether in law and order or militancy, that police has dealt it effectively. There is scope for further improvement”, he added.
Prasad said that the overall levels of violence and militancy is down due to the efforts of the security agencies, particularly Jammu and Kashmir Police. “The trend is continuing and levels are going down over the period of time. Since, Rajendra has taken over this trend will continue and we will get control over the situation”, he added.
The DGP said that infiltration level has also gone down due to the counter-infiltration grid at the Line of Control. “Last year around 100 militants infiltrated into the State and it will be our effort to minimize the level this year”, he added.
Prasad said that levels of violence are directly proportional to the levels of infiltration of militants into the State. “Since the level of violence is down and naturally infiltration levels are also down. It is our effort, the infiltration grid and others, not to allow increase in the infiltration and violence”, he added.
When asked about the possibility of increase in the levels of infiltration ahead of Assembly elections, the DGP said: “They always try (infiltration) but it is not necessary that they will succeed. They too have their luck and we too have ours. And, it seems presently, we are more lucky.”
Prasad said that over the years there has been coordination between various security agencies in the State that has helped in bringing the militancy and violence levels down.
“There has also been improvement in the co-ordination between various security agencies in the State. Large numbers of security forces belonging to various agencies are deployed in the State and it has been realized that cooperation is needed for dealing with the law and order and militancy and a strategy was worked out”, the DGP said.
Prasad said: “The JKP, CRPF and other paramilitary forces and Army have devised a strategy by which all the security agency officers meet and understand that our goals are common and so should be our strategies. And in the end we have to stand by each other and if there is any breakdown in this system, it is likely to harm the interests of the common people. I think, the process of this synergy has reached to high level.”
The outgoing DGP said that efforts have been made to make the Jammu and Kashmir Police as one of the finest counterinsurgency forces in the world, one which is as capable in law and order management. “In dealing with law and order, we achieved large number of successes. Yes, there are gaps, we have made mistakes and we are learning”, he added.
Prasad said that first priority of the police was to fight militancy, then law and order and now it is traffic that takes heavy toll of people’s lives. “We are also tackling the drug addiction and we are trying to focus on investigations and expedite the criminal cases that are pending”, he added.
The outgoing DGP said that role of police during the elections is to create conducive environment for polls. “We try to reduce the levels of violence so that more and more people participate in elections”, he said.
Prasad said that during the elections there is different kind of violence as a particular section threatens the conduct of elections. “Then there is call for boycott and stone pelting and strike call and these all are triggered because of the strike call. We try to minimize the impact of all this for smooth conduct of elections”, he added.
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