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| Words like Fear, Suspicion, Search, Violence return | | BACK TO SQUARE ONE | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | May 13
As people in region begin to settle down a day after barbaric Samba upheaval, things seem to have returned back to square one as a fear psychosis is largely prevailing among the border residents and the forces have fastened their belts. Now what is more talked about is not peace but fear, violence, suspicion, search operations etc.
As unusual activity is being perceived as a possible militant plot and every unknown person is being seen as a suspected militant. The Village Defence Committees are back in business and search operations have again become order of the day.
The winter capital city of Jammu is under an intense security monitoring. Though a three dozen odd security check points always remained in place but there was laxity as people were hardly stopped except in case of any specific inputs. As the security concerns mount after the Samba incident, at any given point of time, there is a long queue of vehicles undergoing security checks at the check posts.
The cops of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Paramilitary Forces have again tightened their boots for the routine patrolling which was a rare sight in past few years. All Police stations in the city are maintaining an extra-vigil and any person seen doing unusual activity is being picked for questioning.
Though there is a sense of some security in the city areas due to close clustered resident inhabitations, things are more perverse in the rural areas where people are taking an extra caution after the barbaric Samba incident. In the border areas, Village Defence Committees and the police have intensified night patrolling to prevent militants from hiding in the area. "While three heavily armed militants were eliminated, seven others are still hiding in Samba and in adjoining forest belts and are waiting to strike at some places," sources said.
Over 47 VDC committees have been trained by army troops in the handling of 303 rifles, setting up of ambushes, developing of intelligence inputs and monitoring activities.
Some ex-service men who were trained in counter insurgency warfare, have also joined the VDCs and are carrying out patrolling and night area domination in their respective border villages, sources said. Members armed with 303 rifles and led by VDC head Makkar Ram have been patrolling the Kaili Mandi hamlet and entry points of villages since Monday. The VDC members along with the police are also patrolling Baingallard, Ramgarh, Nanga, Regal, Mangral and Sangral areas during night.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General of Police Jammu-Kathua range Farooq Khan said that said just like Jammu was the prime target of militant outfits in 2003-04 it continues to be on the militants radar. At present there are no evidence to suggest that Jammu is not on the radar of militants, Khan said.
Khan said that soon after the news of foiled infiltration bid was flashed by border security force personnel on May 8 the Jammu police on the basis of their own assessment had alerted almost the entire 'naka network' from Lakhanpur to Jammu and across the Jammu city to avert major terrorist strike.
Farooq Khan in response to a question whether there was lack of coordination or some kind of controversy over the claim of foiled infiltration bid clarified that it was based on the assessment of one security agency. He said in security related matters most ofthe time assessments turn out to be true but some times they are wrong also. In the same vein he clarified that there were no evidence on the ground to suggest that the militants killed in the enocunter belong to the same group which had attempted to infiltrate into the Indian territoty. He said on the basis of fresh intelligence inputs security apparatus in JAMMU region has been further beefed up.
"We are not lowering the guard as the joint teams of security forces are combing the samba forest area and neighboring district in Kathua to flush out militants"
.DIG Khan said," i cannot completely rule out presence of militants in the area and claimed that police is alert and determined to foil the nefarious designs of militants".
He also gave an assurance to the city residents that nakas across the Jammu city and on the national highway have been set up to prevent and check entry of anti national elements in the city. He said in the days tocome general pubic would surely see certain attitudinal change in the police behaviour. Commenting on the crime rate in the Jammu, Khan said overall the crime graph is under control. |
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