More than two decades back, in 1999, operational responsibility for Srinagar city and adjoining urban areas was vested upon JK Police and paramilitary forces, mainly the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Indian Army remained responsible for the Line of Control and the hinterland, particularly the remote higher reaches where the terrorists kept their bases.
As the new policy evolved and gained acceptance, a Srinagar Sector of the CRPF was created for better management of operations. The Headquarter of the Srinagar Sector is today based in Brein Nishat, Srinagar and it has operational jurisdiction over Budgam, Ganderbal and Srinagar while also being responsible for the Union Territory of Ladakh. To perform this huge responsibility, the sector has under command 22 executive units and 03 Mahila companies. More troops are inducted on an as required basis for conduct of elections or to meet some emergency situations.
The JK Police and CRPF have lived up to the confidence and trust reposed upon them by the Nation. In the two decades plus since the decision was taken, the Army has been called out in Srinagar only once in 2010 when incidents of foreign sponsored disruption took a very violent turn. At that stage also the army simply carried out a couple of flag marches.
The process of transferring policing duties from the army to the paramilitary forces and onward to the JK Police has not been allowed to be derailed as was desired by inimical forces bent upon projecting Kashmir as a βmilitarised zone.β
Now, on 01 September, 2020, a female IPS officer, Charu Sinha, has been appointed as Inspector General of CRPF Srinagar Sector. Notably, this decision has been taken under the stewardship of a Director General of CRPF, AP Maheshwari, who himself headed the Srinagar Sector in 2005 and is well aware of the challenge that the job poses. Charu Sinha has every reason to be proud of being selected for this prestigious position.
The new IG CRPF has been baptised by the test of fire. On 30 August, two days before her taking on the duty, three terrorists travelling on a motorcycle opened fire on a joint party of police and CRPF at Pantha Chowk in the outskirts of Srinagar. The vigilant forces killed all three terrorists in an incisive overnight operation; sadly one police officer also lost his life.
In the urban areas of Kashmir, terrorists have been consistently targeting the security forces, especially those carrying out road opening and picketing duties. In this month itself, on 6, October, two CRPF personnel were killed and three others wounded in a sneak attack by terrorists in Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar.Β Charu Sinha, however, is not one to be cowed down easily. She comes with considerable experience, having operated in areas infested with Left Wing Extremism earlier and has set the threshold very high through some successful operations based on credible intelligence.
The security forces in Kashmir have the onerous responsibility to break down the evil foreign sponsored agenda while ensuring that the people do not suffer. On both counts they are acquitting themselves very well indeed. The cult of terrorism has been virtually decimated and the terrorist leadership eliminated. Alongside the operational success the security forces have set out a comprehensive programme to reduce inconvenience to the people caused by excessive checking etc. The drastic reduction of bunkers in the urban hubs is a major indicator of the effort being put in the right direction and the positive results being thus accrued.
Affirmative steps are being taken to improve the capacity of JK police in handling crowd control, intelligence gathering and the like. The army has no law and order responsibility in urban hubs. It has been quietly rationalising deployment to be less conspicuous while maintaining the capability to respond quickly. It only reacts in counter terrorism situations where specific information is available and that to in coordination with the local police.
By holding on to the sensitive urban areas with exceptional success the police and the CRPF have given leverage to the army to concentrate upon the Line of Control and control infiltration and break the terrorist network in the hinterland. Notably, the people living in remote hilly areas welcome the presence of the army in proximity to their villages since it provides security, economic sustenance and development.
While the Indian Army has spearheaded elimination of the scourge of terrorism, the JK Police and paramilitary forces have played an equally important role. The success would not have been possible without unrelenting support of the people. It is due to synergised efforts that counter terrorist operations in Kashmir have met with exceptional success.
The situation of violence in Kashmir is the direct outcome of a reprehensible foreign agenda to break down the cohesion and integrity of the country by striking at the fabric of the Indian nation. The Indian Nation has responded with grit and determination while ensuring zero tolerance to human rights violations. The security forces make all efforts to uphold human rights and freedom of the people in letter and spirit. To this end, the enhanced responsibility being given to police and paramilitary in urban areas is a wise policy in consonance with globally accepted norms of dealing with people centric disorders with minimum use of force.
It is important to realize that the security forces are responding to a situation that is the product of inimical foreign machinations. So long as the neighboring country continues with its wicked policy of exporting terrorism into Jammu and Kashmir, the security forces cannot lower their guard. Maintaining a counter terrorism grid is even more important today since it ensures that the advantage gained over the terrorists is not withered away. Despite this, the government and the security forces have walked the extra mile to reduce the stress and psychological burden of the people.
(Onkareshwar Pandey is a senior journalist and columnist)
Onkareshwar Pandey is a senior journalist based in Delhi. He is Editor of a news website www.indianobserverpost.com