With forces in large numbers deployed for the ongoing civic poll duties, the security agencies have decided to launch anti-militancy operations strictly based on specific intelligence inputs to ensure that the poll mood is not disturbed, top police and CRPF officials said on Tuesday.
At least 300 more companies of forces and 15,000 policemen have been deployed across Jammu and Kashmir for smooth conduct of the four-phased civic body elections which started on Monday. Each additional company comprises 100 men, meaning close to 50,000 additional forces personnel have been deployed to guard polling booths and ensure night patrolling and area domination in the poll-bound areas.
“We will not put the anti-militancy operations on halt or slow them down for the sake of polls but we will not launch
speculative operations and would go after militants only on the basis of specific intelligence inputs,” a senior police officer, who wished not to be named as he wasn’t authorised to speak to media, told Greater Kashmir.
For the past fortnight, there hasn’t been a gunfight anywhere in Kashmir. The last gun-battle was witnessed in Chadoora area of Budgam district on September 27 in which two militants were killed.
According to top security officials, the plan to go after militants only on the basis of “specific inputs” should not be “construed as slowing down of anti-militancy operations.”
It a move to keep the sanctity of polls intact, they said.
Additional director general of police (law and order/security) Munir Khan said that the police are capable of ensuring smooth polls as well as carrying out anti-militancy operations.
“(But) we will launch the cordon-and-search operations (CASOs) only if we are sure of militants’ presence in a particular area. We will carry out only specific intelligence-based operations against militants to ensure that polls pass off smoothly and that the poll mood is not disturbed,” he said.
About the number of active militants in Kashmir, the ADGP said: “The figure can never be accurate as it keeps fluctuating. There may be more than 300 militants present in Kashmir. In southern Kashmir, there are around 200 militants and majority of them are locals. In northern areas, this number is slightly over 100.”
Another senior police officer said that deliberate operations like CASOs in 10 or more villages at a time will be avoided as “it may hamper the poll mood.”
Inspector general of Central Reserve Police Force Ravideep Singh Sahi said that though there is no change in the strategy against militants, but “forces won’t launch speculative operations.”
“Our operations will be based on hard intelligence and poll mood will be kept in mind,” he said.
The first phase of urban local body elections, which began on October 8, passed off in a relatively peaceful manner, except some clashes in northern Bandipora district and Bage-Mehtaab area of Srinagar.