Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 3: With new strategy, security forces this year achieved major successes against militants by killing top commanders of Hizbul Mujahjdeen, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-Mohammad and curbed stone pelting at the encounter sites and other places and reduced the recruitment of youth into militancy.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, told Excelsior that this all was possible with a new strategy adopted by the security forces for curbing the militancy, stone pelting and recruitment.
He said this year till July 138 militants including top commanders of various militant outfits were killed while last year 129 militants were killed during the same period.
Kumar said that these successes were possible as the human intelligence network and Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police were revamped. He said that special teams for technical inputs were constituted and human and technical inputs were mixed together for better results.
Kumar said that tactics were changed and speed and surprise element was added in laying cordon of target or suspected houses during the operations against militants.
He said that the militants were kept on the run by using several psychological tactics, their hideouts were targeted and their different small modules were busted.
“The healthy competition was brought within Jammu and Kashmir Police and amongst security forces and enhanced functional synergy amongst all security forces which proved fruitful”, he said.
Kumar said that the emphasis was laid on meritocracy at the anti-militancy front and young SSPs and DySps were motivated to lead from the front which led to successes against militants. He said that action on modules of narco-terrorism damaged the main source of funding of militants.
On management of curbing stone pelting at encounter sites and other places, IGP said various steps were taken to stop it. “Area specific known OGWs and organisers of stone pelting were arrested and some of them booked under PSA”, he added.
Kumar said that village specific advance planning of handling law and order situations at encounter sites was taken to stop the stone pelting at encounter sites. “Once encounter starts we block all possible access points and cut off points so that stone pelters from neighbouring villages don’t come close to the encounter site”, he said.
He said that Geo fencing, UAVs Drones and camera mounted vehicles were used for identification of pelters and they were arrested later on.
He said that the sanctity of religious places during operations was maintained which has been hailed by the people.
The IGP said that during the encounters they make appeals for surrender at encounter sites and at times parents are brought for appeals.
He said that no political interference and clean and impartial policing has also helped in curbing the stone pelting.
Kumar said that the recruitment of local youth into militancy has declined this year. He said that this year 90 local youth joined militancy and 38 among them were killed, 22 were arrested and 30 are active. He said that recruitment came down this year from last year’s 124 during the same period while in 2018 it was 135.
The IGP said that this was possible due to new burial policy of militants which glamourising stopped militants during funeral processions. “Neutralisation of new recruits in big numbers discouraged fresh recruitment. Zero killing of civilians at encounter sites and minimising collateral damages at encounter sites have been sending positive messages to society”, he added.
He said that due to cooperative attitudes of parents several youths were brought back to families. ”Identification and action against OGWs who motivated youth to join militant ranks helped in curbing the recruitment”, he said.
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