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| Union home secretary RK Singh for better accountability | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 10: The visit of the union home secretary, R.K. Singh to Jammu and Kashmir could not have come at a more appropriate time. This is the first visit of Singh to any state after he took over from his predecessor, G.K. Pillai.
While most officials of the MHA and central intelligence maintain that this is in the nature of a familiarization visit for the country's new home secretary, the busy schedule and the interaction itinerary of Singh indicates there is more than just mere familiarization on the home secretary's agenda.
The visit has come in the wake of two most serious and shameful developments on the security front of the state. The first was the custodial death of a youth, Nazim Rashid alias Anjum Shalla of Sopore town in the Valley. Anjum had been picked up by a team of the SOG camp Sopore in connection with a complaint lodged by the family members of two locals, Mohammad Ashraf Dar and Jana Mir, both of whom had been killed in Sopore by gunmen during the last few months.
The family members of the slain persons had alleged that Anjum had identified the slain persons to the killers and he was, therefore, involved in these two murders.
Anjum was picked up on July 30 and his body was handed over to his father, himself a retired police officer, on July 31.
There can be no moral self-defence for a heinous act like the murder of a person, whether involved or innocent, at the hands of the police while he is being held in custody.
Two selection grade constables of the SOG have been arrested in this connection and an SIT constituted to investigate the murder. It is hoped that the guilty would quickly be brought to justice to avenge the murder of the Sopore youth.
The home secretary, according to authoritative sources, is taking a first hand account from the higher ups of the state police to learn the exact details about the incident.
The second most unfortunate incident occurred in Surankote area of Poonch district. A mentally challenged person was killed and after his murder the army claimed he had been the most wanted divisional commander of the LeT in the district. Abu Usman was the name that appeared in the statement which also said arms and ammunition had been recovered from the slain LeT commander's possession.
The body was handed over to the locals for burial and the shocker came when the locals discovered, as also was confirmed by the preliminary medical examination of the slain person's body by a medical officer, that he had been a Hindu. For queries in the area revealed the victim had been well known in the area as he moved about there after suffering mental derangement.
In the Surankote incident also two persons, one belonging to the Territorial Army and another an SPO were blamed for the wrong identification of the person. A court of enquiry has also been initiated into the incident.
Union defence minister, A.K. Antony has sought a detailed report from the army's 16th corps responsible for counter insurgency operations in the area.
The union home secretary is also scheduled to interact with the state intelligence and senior officers of the army to get their feedback on the civilian's killings.
There have been incidents of stone pelting at many places in the Valley over the custodial death of the Sopore youth. Fears have also been expressed that there could a repeat of last year's violence if the law and order situation is allowed to slip further. The home secretary is also taking a law and order review meeting focused on the latest situation in the Valley and also in the Jammu region.
As senior most bureaucrat in the union home ministry, Singh is duty bound to keep a close eye on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir which is one of the most sensitive states of the country because of its geo strategic importance and political complexities. It is hoped the new home secretary would give a clear cut direction to the security grid in the state ensuring that incidents like Sopore and Surankote do not recur. |
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