*Anti-militancy ops, intrusion bids figure
Top brass attends meeting chaired by LG
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 27: The Unified Headquarters meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu and attended by Army Generals, top brass of civil and police administration, para-military forces and Intelligence agencies yesterday debated security situation along the borders and hinterland and possibility of holding annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji cave shrine.
Senior Security Advisor to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Incharge Jammu and Kashmir and North East K Vijay Kumar attended the meeting via video link while Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, who holds partial charge of Home Department, also joined the meeting, official sources told the Excelsior and said Northern Command chief Lt Gen YK Joshi couldn’t attend because of his preoccupation in dealing standoff with Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh.
Kashmir based officers attended the Unified Headquarters meeting through video conferencing from Police Control Room (PCR) Srinagar.
Top brass which attended the meeting include Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, all three General Officers Commanding (GOCs) of 9, 15 and 16 Corps, Principal Secretary Home Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary to LG Bipul Pathak, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh, Special DG CRPF J&K, Additional DGP CID Rashmi Ranjan Swain, Special DG CRPF J&K, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sanjeev Verma, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir PK Pole, IGP Jammu Mukesh Singh, IGP Kashmir K Vijay Kumar, IG CRPF (Operations) Kashmir, IG CRPF Jammu, IG Administration CRPF Kashmir, IG BSF Jammu, IG BSF Kashmir, Commissioner SB North Zone Headquarters Jammu and Joint Director in Intelligence Bureau J&K.
Though there was no official word on the meeting, reliable sources told the Excelsior that situation along the borders, security situation in the hinterland with particular reference to intensified anti-militancy operations in the Kashmir valley figured in the Unified Headquarters meeting that lasted four hours.
Situation remained tense along Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri, Poonch and Baramulla districts with regular ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army in which four Army soldiers have been martyred in Jammu region alone this month while some civilians have suffered injuries. In the Indian retaliation, Pakistani troops have sustained heavy casualties and infrastructural losses.
Pakistan has even tried to activate the International Border in Kathua district by sending arms for the first time using drone but the attempt was foiled by the BSF.
Top Army Generals and BSF officers were reported to have given their detailed view point of situation along LoC and International Border with Pakistan and steps being taken by security forces to thwart infiltration attempts by trained militants under the cover of Pakistani troops’ shelling and firing.
There have been multiple infiltration attempts by the militants on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir especially those belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfits who were determined to cross the LoC to cause major terror acts in view of large number of killings of their cadre in the Valley.
The stepped-up operations against the militants in Kashmir recently by Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police have led to many successes with several top commanders killed in the recent past.
“Top officials of all security, Intelligence and other agencies gave their feedback of situation in the Valley and further steps being taken to keep situation on militancy-front well under control,” sources said, adding they were of the view that infiltration by fresh militants is being controlled effectively to ensure that strength of the militants doesn’t go up.
Along LoC and IB, the security officials briefed that number of bunkers have already been constructed for protection of civilians from the ceasefire violations and more will be constructed wherever required. Civilians on both LoC and IB have been taking shelter in bunkers during ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops.
Though a final decision hasn’t been taken by Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) on annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayas, sources said the issue was discussed at the meeting for ensuring safety and security of the pilgrims.
There have been unofficial reports that Shri Amarnath Ji yatra could be held for about 15 days from July 21 to August 3.
Sources said several other security related issues of significance figured at the Unified Headquarters meeting.
The Lieutenant Governor is understood to have given instructions to security officials and others to keep the militancy fully checked and ensure that new youths are not lured by the militant commanders to their ranks.
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