Adil Lateef
Srinagar, May 8: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Javid Mujtaba Gillani today said that by releasing their videos online, militants in Kashmir are indulging in psychological warfare.
The IGP, who was flanked by DIGs of Central, South and Kashmir Ranges, told a press conference here that as of now, there are about 200 militants which is roughly the same number that has been there last year as well. “95 new recruits were there last year, now there are about 200 militants, among them nearly 110 are local militants,” he said.
The IGP, in response to a question with regard to militants releasing their propaganda videos online despite ban on social networking sites and instant messaging applications, said: “It is a psychological warfare that they are trying to indulge in,” adding: “One of the moves that we did was try and block the apps so let us see how that works.” He said the police has taken measure of blocking certain applications for a month and will assess the effects of that after one month.
Gillani while admitting “certain issues” in southern Kashmir said wherever militants appear in the funerals (of their fallen associates) or stone pelting of the people near the sites of the encounters they are taking steps to contain it. The IGP said that the police are carrying out anti-insurgency operations on day-to-day basis in South Kashmir and “there is nothing that the fear of dealing on the ground is stopping us from taking action on the anti-militancy front”.
“So, whatever precautions we have, we have SOPs in place, so whatever precautions we have to take, we take them,” he said when asked whether police are hesitating in carrying out anti-militancy operations due to fear of public protests. The IGP said that the information about the presence and movement of militants in the South Kashmir has not dried up. “This is not correct. The number of terrorists killed in South Kashmir till now is, if not more, similar to what it was last year or much higher than it was the year before,” he added.
The IGP earlier briefed reporters about student uprising in Valley, bank robberies and attacks on political workers. He said the student unrest started from April 12 from Degree College Pulwama where an Army vehicle came under stone-pelting.
“Then on April 15, some students came out of their College and pelted stones on a police naka (checkpoint).
“Afterwards since April 17, some students agitated in various colleges, pelted stones on police establishments and public vehicles after coming out of their colleges and schools,” he said and claimed “these kinds of incidents are now under control to a very extent”. “Except stone-pelting at one or two places, the normal work in schools and colleges is going on. There is normal attendance in 95 percent colleges and schools and day-to-day work in these institutes is going on,” he added.
The IGP claimed that some students in Handwara were “paid money” to indulge in protests and disruption “by outside elements” but was quick to add that this was not the case at other places. “On May 6, an incident occurred at Handwara Degree College when students there held protests and had pelted stones after coming out on nearby BSF camp and had disrupted the normal traffic.
“When we probed this case, it came to fore, as you also know that attempts are being done to disrupt normal activities in colleges and schools at new places, so we came to know that some students are being instigated by outside elements,” he said. Gillani said with regard to Handwara case, they have arrested some people. “It has come to fore that some students are being paid money or lured by other things in order to disrupt normal activities in schools.
“We have appealed parents several times before this and today we again appeal them to counsel their wards so that they do not indulge in disruption of normal academic activities. At many levels, the District Administration are counseling such students and we hope that in coming days the normal academic activities in every college and every school will commence,” he added.
Replying to a question, the IGP said police’s endeavour is to not have a confrontation of the students with the cops. “That is why you have seen that we have that we have exercised maximum restraint in all such incidents. We did not take action near any of the colleges, but we will take a legal action wherever law and order is disrupted. Our attempt is to counsel maximum students, their parents so that their career is not affected,” he said.
Gillani said that there have been 28 incidents of students indulging in lawlessness where cases have been registered. “As of now, we are only counseling the students and their parents so that they do not indulge in such activities,” he said, when asked whether any student has been booked for involvement in stone-pelting. He said an inquiry that the Government has already ordered is underway into Pulwama Degree College incident. “Once the report comes, we will take whatever action is required,” the IGP said.
He asserted that “in addition to finding out that people were paid (at Handwara) to indulge in a law and order situation, there is also a fact that there are people who are instigating them”. “It may not be for money but there are people who are instigating them to indulge in such incidents,” Gillani added.
The IGP, in his briefing about armed bank robberies, blamed militants for them and said that they began last year in the month of October and then there were some bank dacoities in October as well as November. “Similarly, there was dacoity last week in two Pulwama banks in single day,” the top officer said, adding that last year, four cases were registered and during investigation we came to know that active militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen of South Kashmir area were involved and involvement of both these outfits has come to force in the cases of this year too.
“The involvement has come to fore after seeing the footage of CCTVs installed in those banks. And after questioning the bank staff and eyewitnesses present during the incidents, we have identified these people (of Hizb and LeT). One of them was Abu Ali, a terrorist, who was killed some 10 days ago at Budgam. And, some local and foreign militants active in South Kashmir are involved (in bank dacoities),” the IGP Giliani said and adding that “our efforts are to complete these cases by arresting or neutralizing them.”
The IGP when asked about the motive of these armed robberies said “they (police) are seeing a criminalization” in militancy due to joining of locals. “See if you look at the number of people who have joined in the last one year, as I said, 95-odd new recruits all over the Valley, so, we are seeing a criminalization in a way. They are attacking civilians whether you have seen that in Mir Bazaar (in Kulgam) when policemen were attacked when they were trying to clear the traffic or whether a bank cash-van was attacked in which two civilians and five policemen lost their lives,” he added.
The IGP said some political workers were targeted after announcement of polls in south Kashmir and five cases have been registered since month of March in which five political workers were targeted. “Some days ago, a district president of a party was attacked. When we investigated the case, an Over Ground Worker who was facilitating the whole thing has been arrested by us. We have also learned that a lawyer who was there had given information to terrorists about the movement of the deceased. He too has been arrested,” he informed.
The IGP Gillani said that about 40 weapons that police lost since last year except at Damhal-Hanjipora. “If you take away the Damhal-Hanjipira police station attack because that happened during a law and order situation. But some of them have also been recovered,” he said. The IGP in response to a question about banning of some religious and Pakistani news channels said that “if they are unauthorized, there is a legal action that will follow”.
The IGP said “by and large, when you see all these incidents, they are happening in a small area of south Kashmir and we have identified all the terrorists of that area who are involved in this. We will complete these cases by arresting or neutralizing them”. He said police is at the forefront of containing law and order as well as terrorism. “We are upto the task and we will do it,” the IGP said. “Rest, the overall situation with regard to law and order and militancy in Central and North Kashmir is completely under control and there is no such disruption,” he claimed.
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