Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 23: Police administration today asked all district police chiefs to facilitate smooth movement of cattle of nomads, who shift to upper reaches from plains along with their cattle with the onset of summer to ensure that Reasi like attacks don’t occur in future.
Police instructions came just days after a nomadic family was allegedly attacked in Reasi when it was moving towards hilly areas along with their cattle.
IGP Personnel Police Headquarters (PHQ), JP Singh said told newspersons that an advisory has been issued by police authorities to all district SSPs, SHOs and Incharge Police Posts to ensure that the movement of cattle belonging to nomadic community with the onset of summer goes on smoothly and they are not targeted by any group.
“All nomads move with their cattle from the summer areas to upper reaches and they shall be provided all protection if they carry valid permission issued by the concerned authorities. There should be no harassment meted out to them, instead they should be provided all help enroute and their movement should be felicitated.’’
IGP Jammu zone SD Singh Jamwal, who was also present at the press conference, said: “the Gujjar (nomadic) family did not possess the valid order from the concerned Deputy Magistrate to transport the bovine animals from one district to another. Irrespective of the mode, nomads must have valid permission for transporting the cattle”.
He said a FIR has been registered against this group and the people who attacked this family.
“We have taken stern action against the people who took law into their own hands. Eleven people have been arrested by Reasi police in the case and we have recovered all 16 bovine animals”, Singh said.
On the law regarding movement of nomads, the IGP Jammu said: “Section 144 of the CrPC mandated that if any nomad moves from one district to another, he has to get persimmon from the concerned District Magistrate.
“The family did not have the permission and moreover they were moving during the night hours. Also we have directed officers to ensure monads move during the day time as it will ensure their hassle free movement and even police can give them protection,’’ Singh asserted.
On the action taken by the police to curb the menace of bovine smuggling, which often leads to communal tension, the IGP Zone said: “we have taken special measures to curb the menace. Last year police has registered 725 cases and in few months of the current year, 200 cases have been registered so far. One person has been booked under Public Safety Act and 209 people have arrested in these few months”.
To a query regarding affiliation of arrested persons with any organization, Jamwal said that it is yet to be ascertained but as per reports, they happened to be migrants, who had come to Pouni (Reasi) in the wake of militant violence after mid 1990s.
The arrested persons were identified as Balbir Singh, Onkar, Sujivan Singh, Satpaul, Jagdev Singh, Lal Singh, Sunil Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Shankar Singh, Bhagwan Dass and Surinder Singh.
A minor girl and two women were among five nomadic Bakerwals got injured when a mob comprising activists of some political bodies allegedly attacked them at Zero Morh near Talwara on Thursday evening when they along with cattle moving from the plains of Reasi to highland pastures in Kishtwar district.
On Amarnath Yartra, the IG Jammu said that Jammu and Kashmir Police is capable to foil any nefarious design and arrangements are being put in place for smooth and incident free yatra.
Meanwhile on allegations levelled by BJP MLA from Kathua Rajiv Jasrotia of alleged threat to his life from some influential hand in glove with police and he was given poison in the water, the IGP said, ‘’we are investigating the matter and waiting for the FSL report.”
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