The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is understood to have given nod to further strengthening of the State Investigation Agency (SIA) and Police Stations and Police Posts in sensitive areas in Jammu and Kashmir .
The decisions to this effect were reportedly taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla in New Delhi which was attended physically as well as virtually by top officials of civil and police administration from Jammu and Kashmir, senior MHA officials Incharge J&K and heads of various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The meeting lasted over an hour.
Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta and Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh represented Jammu and Kashmir in the meeting among others.
Official sources told that security situation in Jammu and Kashmir came up for high-level review in the meeting and it was decided to adopt tough approach against the Terrorist involved in the killings of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) personnel and civilians and causing other acts of terror.
“No leniency will be shown towards the terrorist. If they don’t surrender, they will be eliminated. Security forces will go all out against the terrorists ,” sources said, adding there were also concerns about infiltration of terrorists including some Pakistanis.
There have also been reports that large number of terrorist are waiting across Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) for infiltration into the Indian territory and there was need for Army and BSF to keep sustained vigil and thwart the intrusion bids. Majority of infiltration attempts have already been foiled by the security forces but some successful bids are also not ruled out.
“The Home Ministry was reportedly of the view that the SIA needs to be further strengthened in Jammu and Kashmir on the lines of National Investigating Agency (NIA) not only to investigate terror-related cases but also keep vigil on terrorism by carrying out crackdown on the home grown modules but as well as those operating from Pakistan,” sources said, adding manpower of the SIA was likely to be increased.
It may be mentioned here that the SIA was set up just few days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir in October. It had recently conducted raids on the terror modules in the Kashmir valley.
Besides the SIA, a decision was also reportedly taken to further strengthen the Police Stations and Police Posts in the Union Territory. However, to begin with, the strengthening process will start from the Police Stations and Police Posts located in the terror-prone areas.
Ongoing developmental works in Jammu and Kashmir were also reviewed in the meeting, sources said, adding that most of the projects are going on smoothly.
“Funding of certain projects was also discussed,” they said.
Misuse of some prisons by the terrorist’s for fanning trouble too came up for review during the meeting and it was reportedly decided to take steps and ensure that the terrorists lodged in the jails don’t get access to mobile telephones.
Sources disclosed that entire gamut of security situation in Jammu and Kashmir including steps required to contain the targeted attacks and eliminate terrorists was reviewed at the high-level meeting. A strategy was formed to check the rising activities of the terrorists in the Kashmir valley.
Noting that targeted killings by the terrorists including Pakistanis in the Kashmir valley have become a major cause of concern for the Central as well as Jammu and Kashmir Governments, sources said the MHA along with JKP, top officials of the Home Ministry dealing with UT and heads of para-military forces and Central Intelligence agencies drafted joint strategy to deal with the new threat.
“Multiple security and Intelligence agencies of the Central and Jammu and Kashmir Governments chalked-out the strategy to deal with threats posed by the terrorists with targeted attacks,” sources said and added that curbing such activities has been necessary to maintain the gains of normalcy.