Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 25: Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, today said that police has to play an important role in the reconciliation and peace process, announced by the NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by providing a congenial and positive atmosphere on the ground.
Click here to watch video
The Chief Minister said this in her address at the attestation cum passing out parade held at Police Training School Ganderbal today.
Mehbooba said that the Central Government has taken a bold and major step in recent times to reach out to the people of the State and get them out of the turmoil. The initiative needs to be made successful by providing a positive atmosphere on the ground for which she asked the police to play its role by acting as an element of public reassurance.
Chief Minister praised Modi for appointing Interlocutor for peace and reconciliation in Jammu and Kashmir and giving him Cabinet Secretary rank. “Our PM took such a big step recently. He did not appoint an Interlocutor but he has been given Cabinet Secretary rank which has never happened so far. Lots of Interlocutors came here for talks but they were never given such a rank. This has happened for the first time and it means that 120 crore people of the country, who chose our Prime Minister in 2014 and gave mandate to him, wants to get the people of Jammu and Kashmir out of this quagmire”, she said.
Mehbooba said over the past year or so many young officers and jawans of police, besides men from Army and other security forces, have laid down their lives for maintaining peace in the State.
Chief Minister said fighting militants and militancy is easy but if you have to wipe out militancy you have to play important role for making conducive atmosphere in Kashmir with the cooperation of people. “You are custodians of law and you are protectors of people’s lives and property. But they do otherwise. This difference should never rub and where you get chance, where our local militant readies during or before encounter to lay down his gun and return back, I will give you double the prize if he comes alive. We should try. As I said earlier, killing a militant is easy but ending militancy is not. If you have to end militancy then you have to take people along and win their hearts. If, by making people unhappy you think you will end militancy by killing some militants, then it will not happen”, she said.
She told police that they are law abiding force and should make a distinction from militants and asked them not to do the acts which they are doing. “You should not think that you have to copy militants. What they are doing you will do the same? Our security forces, our Army has done commendable job. As far as law and order is concerned, security forces can’t be alternative to Jammu and Kashmir Police”, she said.
Mehbooba praised the security forces for the sacrifices they have rendered. “As you know during last one year the Jammu and Kashmir Police made lot of sacrifices. Whether it is Army, Police, Lt. Umar, Feroz, Ayub and numerous others, our boys who have been martyred and I am proud of the force that they did not lose the cool when all this happened”, she said.
The Chief Minister said security forces should refrain from acts of targeting the families and houses of militants. “Our workers were killed, our worker was killed and later his house was torched. I want to emphasize on this, that there should be difference in the acts of militants and our acts. Militants come and kill our workers and martyr our cops and after that they ransack the houses and set them ablaze which they did recently. And we, whether Police or security forces should not do the same acts. We are law abiding and protectors of law. I should not get this kind of complaint that militants fled and they ransacked our houses and we should also do the same”, she said.
Mehbooba advised the police to adopt a healing touch approach while dealing with the day to day situation in the State. She said while chronic criminal elements need to be dealt with firmly care should be taken that innocent civilians are not put to any inconvenience. “Efforts should be made to persuade alienated youth to join back the mainstream society rather than going for a violent friction”, she said.
The Chief Minister described the mobs taking law and order into their own hands and beating innocent people on braid chopping rumnours as unfortunate. “We registered FIR in every case but unfortunately mobs here took law in their hand and started beating innocent people. A mob in Sopore wanted to burn a mentally challenged youth which is also a challenge for you. That how can you reach this issue’s depth. More than incidents, rumors spread more. Recently in Anantnag district, a youth whose fingers had cut in Saudi Arabia five years ago put bandage on them and cut his hair and then said his fingers and hair were cut. Similarly several incidents happen and when police goes for investigation, people don’t cooperate”, she said.
Mehbooba said that police is facing a tough challenge. “…When blood samples are sought to probe claim of spray from women, they ran away. This is also a challenge and you will face similar challenges. Yesterday I was confused after I heard two girls have gone missing from Handwara but thank God they were brought back from Ramban. So these kinds of challenges you will face and you have to face these challenges with determination and honesty”, she said.
The Chief Minister said that some people are bent upon to vitiate the environment. “There are some people here who are always in search of excuses to vitiate environment. Identify these people and take strictest action against them. Also you have to find out why are these things happening and who are behind it”, she said.
She asked the police to remain steadfast on its professional commitment and take the investigations to their logical ends. She said the cases of braid chopping happened in other States as well but in Jammu & Kashmir cases were lodged and probes ordered. She hoped the cases would be thoroughly investigated and persons and agencies involved would be unmasked.
Listing out the initiatives taken by the Government for the welfare of the jawans and officers of the organization, the Chief Minister said almost all cases of compassionate appointment or SRO-43 were either settled or concluded during the last one and a half year. “Also the most chased demand of cadre review was undertaken in police to ensure better promotion avenues to the officers of the force, she added.
Mehbooba said additionally the long pending demand of pay anomaly among various subordinate ranks of police was removed besides a three times hike in the ex gratia amount and increase in the ration money for jawans was effected. She said a proposal for more accommodation for the officers and jawans has been sent to Centre for funding adding that the modernisation of JK Police is being given a thrust with more sophisticated instruments for crime detection, weaponry and vehicles to match the challenges faced by it.
Around 700 jawans passed out today from the school after going through the basic training. Senior officers of JK Police and their families; parents of the newly inducted jawans; officers of district administration and a large number of people were present on the occasion.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
