STATE TIMES NEWS
Udhampur: Over 5,500 police and central security forces personnel have been killed while on duty in Jammu and Kashmir ever since armed insurgency broke out in the state 25 years ago, a senior police officer said here on Friday.
“Jammu and Kashmir Police played a pivotal role in fighting terrorism and bringing back normalcy in the state by giving numerous sacrifices.
“More than 1,595 officers and jawans of J&K Police, SPOs, VDC members and 4,016 officers and men of central security forces have laid down their lives on the alter of duty protecting lives and property of the people and upholding the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the nation,” Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir Police has always withstood the test of time under most difficult circumstances and provided yeomen services to the people be it during the severe earthquake of 2005 or the devastating floods of 2014, terrorism or grave public disorder. “Despite grave provocations by separatists, secessionists and other inimical elements, Jammu and Kashmir Police has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism while handling these challenges and will continue to do so in future too,” Kumar said. The DGP said that in order to ensure fair and transparent recruitment in J&K Police and with the view to eliminate corruption, transparent recruitment process was introduced in the state in 2015 when 4,000 constables were employed. “The entire selection process is technology driven in which biometric gadgetry and videography was used extensively which completely eliminated human interferences resulting in fair and transparent selection of constables. The same process is being adopted for raising five new IR battalions,” he said.
He said this revolutionary decision was taken by former Chief Minister late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who believed in providing corruption-free administration and good governance to the people of the state. “Similarly to eliminate corrupt practices at police station level, the J&K government under the leadership of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for the first time has made a provision for providing up to Rs 25,000 per month per police station for meeting the day-to-day requirement of stationary costs…so that money is not extracted from the complainant on the pretext of purchase of stationary items,” the DGP said. Terming it a unique step, the DGP said that it would reduce the complaints of corruption at police stations.
