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| When PC asked for missing file of 26 Armed Police battalions | | |
NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
Jammu, June 13: When the Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram, wanted the state Government to explain where the men of the 26 police battalions have been deployed and posted senior police functionaries were taken by surprise.
Chidambaram was quite keen to seek information about the nature of deployment of these 26 Armed Police battalions. Reports stated that the state police authorities burnt midnight oil to furnish details of the deployment of the Armed police battalions. It is not yet known whether the Union Home Minister was fully informed about the deployment of 50 per cent of the armed police personnel on security duty. Instead of deploying them for tackling law and order and terrorism, majority of police personnel are seen guarding ministers, legislators, bureaucrats, and many petty political workers.
What seem to be funny is that adequate security cover has been provided to former legislators, ministers and retired bureaucrats. A former senior Minister, who remained a member of the cabinet headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and later by Ghulam Nabi Azad, continues to have security personnel at his residence. Whenever he moves out security personnel in four vehicles escort him. Even some senior police officers enjoy the security cover of four to six men in khaki. More interesting is the way even those political minions, who contested the Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections have sought security cover. If the demand for security cover is refused those who seek it manage to fabricate letters in which threats have been issued which is responded by the sanctioning of the security cover. A senior police officer said that since the number of political parties has mushroomed in Jammu and Kashmir the demand for security cover has also increased. One need not talk about security cover to mainstream political leaders because majority of separatists too have sought security cover. Armed police guard the residence and the office headquarters of political leaders belonging to the mainstream camp and the separatists.
According to the police officer, if the size of the security cover is reduced by 50 per cent it could spare at least three battalions of Armed police for maintaining law and order and for handling militancy related activities. There is need for reviewing the security requirement of each political leader and in-service and retired bureaucrats. P Chidambaram is not to be blamed if he wants details of the utilisation of men of the 26 Armed police battalions. He must be aware of the fact that prior to the rise of militancy Jammu and Kashmir had the police strength of 30,000 personnel and at present the strength has gone over 1.10 lakh police men, including the SPOs. The increase in the police strength was called for because of terrorism that has gripped the state. But the services of the police force have not been fully utilised which had forced the Government to bank on the BSF and the CRPF besides the Army. The BSF has been withdrawn from major areas of the state and now the demand for withdrawal of troops has gained the momentum. And the Union Home Minister wishes to create a situation in which the state police performed the primary task of maintaining law and order and tackle the activities of militants. He wants the paramilitary forces to play a supplementary role. If it is done there are indications that the level of human rights violations may decline at a fast rate. Hence it is for the state Government to initiate measures for proper utilisation of the police force and once it is done the Government could seek sanction for another five battalions if the need was felt.
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