Legal action against Pak-based Hizbul supremo, other terrorists
Jammu: Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh hinted on Saturday that action could be taken against Syed Sallahuddin, the Pakistan-based supreme commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen terror group, and said dossiers have been prepared of almost all the local terrorists operating from across the border.
He dismissed People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks that hundreds of youngsters are languishing in jails as draconian anti-terror laws, such as the UAPA, are slapped ruthlessly in Kashmir on “flimsy and trivial grounds”, saying it is a “personal perception” and adding that “we are open to any kind of scrutiny”.
“The day is not far away,” the DGP said at the year-end press conference here in response to a question on whether police are planning to take action against Sallahuddin, India’s most wanted terrorist, similar to the demolition of the house of Ashiq Nengroo, the Pakistan-based commander of terror outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), and an extended portion of the house of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Ghulam Nabi Khan alias “Amir Khan” in south Kashmir.
“Many of them were earlier sitting in Pakistan and carrying on terrorist activities and were not brought into the ambit of certain legal provisions…. Now, dossiers have been prepared against most of them and they have already been notified as individual terrorists,” the police chief said, adding, “Further action as per law will follow against them.”
He said in order to put an end to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, it is vital to take strict action against the terror ecosystem.
“We have booked 649 terror supporters under the Public Safety Act (PSA) this year, besides seizing 50 vehicles used to transport terrorists and weapons. Twenty-eight houses and other buildings used to provide shelter to terrorists were also sealed,” the DGP said.
He said the anti-terror Special Investigation Agency is now more than a year old and has done a tremendous job in probing criminal activities, especially the cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
“We have augmented crime-dealing capabilities…. After finding that the UAPA cases have increased with 1,350 still under investigation, we have set up special investigation units (SIUs) at the district level in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions to speed up the probe in UAPA cases,” he said.
On the use of bulldozers to demolish properties linked to terrorists, Singh said, “Bulldozers were used for selective action. Where it is important, we will only use the machines there.”
Asked about Mufti’s letter to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and her remarks against the alleged misuse of the UAPA, the DGP said, “It must be her personal perception. Every act of police, including the registration and investigation of any case, falls under the scrutiny of the courts. We are open to any kind of scrutiny.”
Addressing the reporters, the DGP said that a total of 186 terrorists, including 56 Pakistani nationals, were killed and 159 arrested in 2022 which proved to be the most successful in recent years.
He also said the police and other security agencies are moving in the right direction to achieve “zero terror” activities in the Union territory.
The police chief said 146 Pakistan-created terror modules, comprising four to five members each who were tasked to carry out selective and targeted killings and grenade and IED attacks, were also busted in 2022.
He said 100 youths joined terrorism in J-K this year, which is also the lowest in many years. A majority of them were eliminated, while security forces are working to bring down the number of active terrorists to a two-digit figure which is presently a little more than 100.
The DGP said that Pakistani agencies are trying to smuggle narcotic substances into Jammu and Kashmir in large quantities and the police has taken various counter measures to deal with the challenge.
He said 1,693 cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 173 peddlers were taken into preventive custody under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and 91 others were detained under prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act during the year 2022.
“Pakistani agencies are trying to smuggle drugs into J-K in large quantities but we have taken numerous measures to counter the challenge. They are using smugglers, touts and even drones to push the narcotic substances into this side,” Singh told reporters here.
A total of 1,693 cases under NDPS were registered this year which is more than 130 compared to the last year, the Director General of Police said.
“A total of 212 kgs heroin, 383 kgs charas, 12 kgs brown sugar, 215 kgs ganja and 10,746 kgs poppy straw were seized, besides huge quantities of synthetic and other drugs in 2022.
“In addition, over Rs 60 lakh in cash was also seized. It is in addition to the cash seized in Udhampur which is under investigation of the anti-terror State Investigation Agency,” he said.
Over 1.91 crore cash was recovered from a car in Udhampur district in August.
As part of the strict action against drug peddling, Singh said, 176 traffickers were slapped with PSA this year compared to only 23 detained under the law last year.
In addition, 91 others were booked under the PITNDPS Act, he said.
The police chief said a total of 29,834 crime cases were registered in J-K this year, but the disposal of these cases has also increased manifold with the majority of the cases chargesheeted in the court of law.
Elaborating about crimes against women, he said 2,285 cases were registered across the UT. It is a matter of satisfaction that women police stations have been set up in all districts to deal with such types of cases, he added.
He also said that Terrorists are threatening minority community employees and others in Jammu and Kashmir to keep the “fear factor” alive but “we should not be cowed down by such acts”.
The police chief’s remarks came at a time when Kashmiri Pandit migrant employees and Jammu-based Reserved Category employees are camping in Jammu demanding their relocation outside the Valley in the wake of targeted killings of two of their colleagues Rahul Bhat and Rajni Balla.
The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has issued five hitlists containing names of Kashmiri Pandit employees in the recent past and warned of attacks.
“The terror threats against minorities or sometimes police or forces (is routine). The one who works and who is on the ground faces this type of thing in such a situation. We do not stop walking on the roads in view of apprehension of accidents. If someone threatens us to sit at home, can we stop coming out,” Singh asked.
“We have to take action against them and we are doing that. We will continue our actions against them more strictly,” he told reporters here.
The police chief was responding to a question about the threats issued by TRF. Blood-thirsty terror groups who have been bleeding Kashmiris for the past over three decades at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI and terrorist handlers sitting across the border are trying to keep terrorism alive, he said.
“The Resistance Front (TRF) and Kashmir Fight are both mouthpieces of Pakistan which are being run from across the border. TRF is like an umbrella to take credit for terror actions which are mostly being done either by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) or the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). They do not want to own their actions for some reason,” Singh said.
Barring one, he said, most of the modules involved in selective and targeted killings have been busted. “We will not let them succeed in their conspiracy and will bring the culprits to book.”
“Threats are meant to keep the fear factor alive. Sometimes they are able to target a minority community member or a non-local labourer on the pretext that they are being settled (in Kashmir) or some other narrative.
“J&K residents have become settlers to them and it is decided by those sitting in Pakistan. This wrong, motivated and mischievous narration is aimed at justifying such type of actions against minorities and poor labourers who are there for a living,” Singh said.
He said analysis of the attacks on the labourers revealed that all of them were living either in one-room rented accommodations or in groups at sheds.
Giving credit to the people for the success against terrorism, he said, “People are the biggest beneficiaries of peace. Every parent wants their children to grow in a peaceful atmosphere and every businessman also wants their business to run smoothly.”
Singh said it is a matter of great satisfaction that there was no terrorist- or separatist-sponsored strike in the Valley this year.
“Children are studying and businesses are running without any break. There used to be a time when even marriages had to be cancelled due to law and order situations. Nothing like that happens anymore,” the officer said.
On Wednesday’s encounter in the Sidhra bypass in Jammu that left four terrorists dead, the DGP said an investigation in the case is going on and some important clues have been found.
He said the group is believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan and none of those killed were local terrorists.
On the recovery of an M4 rifle from the slain terrorists, Singh said such weapons have been recovered in the past as well but there is no indication to suggest smuggling of weapons left behind by the US in Afghanistan was taking place.
In response to another question, he said the security agencies were fully prepared for the upcoming Republic Day to ensure peaceful functions across the Union territory.
The police chief further said that he would like to see a movie made on the sacrifice of J&K police personnel in the fight against terrorism.
Singh said holding of G20 meeting in J&K is a proud moment for the people of the UT and “adequate security will be provided for the event.”
Press Trust of India
