Sir,
Recent wanton killings in village Dangri near Rajouri, extensively reported in your esteemed daily as news and views, has exposed the failure of administration amidst tall govt claims of calling militancy a story of the past. Dismantling time tested VDCs indiscriminately and thinning the presence of SFs in border areas offered common man, as before, as sacrificial lambs to the prevalent anti India Jihadists. Besides a jolt to the govt it has alarmed the stunned society to the consequences of such happenings. Feeling of facing the menace collectively, as reported, willy-nilly strengthens the resolve of the govt to restore confidence of the public. Hence the revival of VDCs is a welcome step but not the last resort. Dangri killings are enough indications of revival of terrorism in Rajouri-Poonch districts. Hence following security measures needs to be considered as additional confidence building measures:-
(i) Arming the VDCs with semi-automatic weapons instead of obsolete & bulky .303 Rifles.
(ii) Arming selected ex-servicemen with sub-machine-guns and shot guns as detrimental deterrent.
(iii) Restart issue of gun licenses for self defence.
(iv) Form district specific advisory Public Safety/Security Committees to guide and oversee the outcome of security measures.
Col J P Singh
Gandhinagar, Jammu.
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