E-Paper
Jammu and Kashmir Police officer contradicts DGP over 'parties cultivated terror' remark
DGP of J&K Police RR Swain on Monday had blamed the regional parties for Pakistan’s ‘successful’ infiltration into the Kashmiri civil society.
Additional Director General (Law and Order) of Jammu and Kashmir Police Vijay Kumar on Wednesday said that the statement by DGP RR Swain about regional parties allegedly hobnobbing with terrorist leaders could be his “personal opinion.”
“Jammu and Kashmir Police has been an apolitical force from the beginning. We work with impartiality. The statement of the DGP could be his personal opinion. We are a professional force, apolitical and impartial,” said Vijay Kumar.
Kumar, a 1997-batch officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, has previously served as the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, and is known for his counter-insurgency operations in the Valley during his four-year tenure.
He was in Zadibal area of Srinagar on Wednesday to oversee the arrangements for the Muharram procession on the day of Ashura.
Director General of Police RR Swain on Monday had blamed the regional parties of Jammu and Kashmir for Pakistan’s ‘successful’ infiltration into the Kashmiri civil society.
Swain also alleged that “so-called mainstream political parties” cultivated leaders of terror networks and sometimes directly for electoral prospects.
His remarks drew sharp reactions from various political parties in the region, with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti calling for his sacking over the huge losses suffered by security forces in the past 32 months.
“All Kashmiris, especially the majority community has been alienated by him (DGP). He is treating them as Pakistanis… He is talking through the barrel of gun, through weaponising of passports, verifications and security agencies,” said Mehbooba Mufti while addressing the media on Tuesday.
“While there is infiltration from Pakistan, what is the DGP doing? Is it my job or Omar Abdullah’s job to stop the infiltration? Who is at the borders? Who has to deal with the situation? Who has militarised the police force? Who has criminalised the thought process of Kashmiris?” former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti added.
