Srinagar, Dec 16: Stressing upon the dedication of police towards ensuring peace in Jammu and Kashmir, Director General of Police R R Swain on Saturday outlined the police’s commitment to minimizing terror-related incidents.
RR Swain said that the objective of police is to achieve zero infiltration, zero terror recruitment, and zero smuggling of arms and ammunition, with a strong stance against narcotics.
Talking to media persons on the side-lines of Public Darbar in Srinagar, DGP RR Swain said there has been a significant improvement in Jammu and Kashmir’s situation on a number of parameters.
He said stone pelting, often linked to creating unrest and violence in the Kashmir valley, is not always tied to issues like water, electricity, roads, bad governance, or poor services.
“The current situation in J&K reflects increased order compared to the past, with people freely moving about, schools and colleges operational, and peaceful trade and commerce, all considered crucial elements of security management,” DGP Swain said.
He said for three decades, we have battled the weight of terrorism and secessionism in this region. It will take time to quiet the last echoes of gunfire,” he said.
Addressing the toll on security forces from civilian stone-pelting, DGP Swain said the count of security forces injured or lost in such incidents is essential. Mathematically, our success rate in containing it stands at 99 percent.”
“If you will ask me about the security situation, the order on the road is also a security measurement; he said adding that the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has described stone pelting as an “act of terrorism”.
DGP Swain said that Police is persistently striving for the ambitious objectives of eliminating infiltration, terror recruitment, and arms smuggling, while simultaneously dismantling narratives that endorse terrorism.
He said there has been a significant drop in the number of local terrorists to fewer than 20 this year, a notable decrease from the 100 reported in 2022, DGP added.
He said in comparison to the preceding year, which recorded 100 incidents during the same time frame, this year’s local terrorist count has dramatically decreased to less than 20. He said there is importance of countering the narrative and ideology that glorifies and supports terrorism, he added.
In reply to a query regarding measures in place to thwart terror attacks, the DGP emphasized assessing progress through an overarching decline rather than isolated incidents.
He emphasised the government’s commitment to dismantle the entire terror ecosystem. This includes identifying individuals involved in recruiting, arming, facilitating infiltration, providing logistics, and targeting for terrorists, the DGP added.
He also said that continuous efforts to identify and address potential threats, citing progress in identifying associates planning recent incidents, reiterated that it will take time to silence the last gun of violence of 30 years.
Responding to a query about the participation of former stone-pelters in his “public darbar” , DGP said the importance of imparting lessons to certain individuals to ensure the safety of the general public.
“We have to check whether the stone pelters are doing anything right or wrong, so that it is mitigated. While we know that he had done something wrong, we check and keep record of everything. It is not like we see the face and then decide. We go into details, objectively,” he said.
DGP Swain said the police force knows it will not be able to do anything without the support of people and sought the cooperation of the public.
“During the Public Darbars, most of the cases come to us related to police investigation, civil issues are being discussed and resolved. It is becoming an internal grievances system for us,” he said.
