Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 3: A day after killing of a Bhartiya Janta Party leader in Tral, Inspector General of Police Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar today said that no protected person should go anywhere without the Personal Security Officers (PSOs).
In a tweet, the IGP said visits of protected persons are allowed only after ground assessment of local threats is done.
He requested all the protected persons to adhere to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). “Request is to all protected persons not to #violate SOPs and risk their lives unnecessarily,” the police tweeted.
The fresh advisory was issued by police a day after suspected militants killed BJP leader and chairman Municipal Committee Tral Rakesh Pandita.
Pandita was provided a secure residence in Srinagar and had two PSOs but went to Tral yesterday without security and was shot dead by militants.
The BJP today said the Tral incident is a security lapse and questioned how militants were roaming freely in the area.
“It is a security lapse. Were not security agencies aware that three unidentified militants were roaming in the area? Is this not a security lapse? We agree with the fact that our leader had not taken PSOs along with him,” BJP general secretary Ashok Koul told reporters at Srinagar party office.
Koul said the Government should admit lapses on its part. He termed the killing as a political killing and said that this should not be associated with return of Kashmiri Pandits.
“It is a political killing and should not be connected with the return of Kashmir Pandits or other things,” he said.
He said BJP leaders are being targeted by militants from past one year in Kashmir.
He said such incidents should not take place. “Pandita was trying to strengthen the Municipal Committee and was working for development,” he said.
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