STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Top police and administration officials held a meeting here on Friday to discuss “law and order” ahead of the Supreme Court’s verdict on Article 370 case.
A senior officer of Jammu and Kashmir Police said punitive action will be taken against anyone found indulging in any mischief or misuse of social media.
Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, J&K, Vijay Kumar chaired a joint meeting of all district magistrates and senior superintendents of police of the Kashmir division for the first time at PCR Kashmir, the spokesman said.
The meeting comes ahead of Monday’s SC ruling in the Article 370 case.
‘NIA to investigate Police Insp Masroor Ahmad’s martyrdom’
Srinagar: The probe into the martyrdom of Jammu and Kashmir Police inspector Masroor Ahmad Wani has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a senior police officer said here on Friday.
Wani, who was shot by a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist while playing cricket in Srinagar in October, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Thursday.
“The case has been given to the NIA. The NIA and JK Police will investigate it jointly,” Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Vijay Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of a wreath-laying ceremony of the slain officer here.
Kumar said the police have got some leads in the case and the investigation is underway.
“Those involved will soon be brought to justice. Investigations are on and we cannot share the details,” he added. The ADGP said maintenance of law and order is a basic need and a right of the public, and those persons, separatists, miscreants or terrorists who try to disturb it will be dealt with sternly.
Asked what steps the police have taken to stop such attacks in the future, Kumar said there are a number of standard operating procedures for police personnel and these will be followed strictly. “We had issued a number of SOPs last year after several meetings and consultations…for officers and personnel, what to do when on leave or at home or outside. Awareness was spread but there are deficiencies sometimes, the consequences of which we have to bear,” he said.
To a question on whether there was any input shared with the officer about the attack, Kumar said there was an input and every police personnel was told but “there is a lapse sometimes”.
“We will take care in the future and every officer has been told to make their personnel aware of the SOPs and it is very important to follow them strictly,” he said.
Responding to a question on several security agencies taking actions against militants and their sympathisers to break the terror ecosystem, the senior police officer said kinetic and non-kinetic operations will continue.
“We have been doing it for the last two-to-three years by taking a holistic approach to fight and there are both kinetic as well as non-kinetic operations. This is a part of that and it will continue. We are also adding more steps to non-kinetic operations,” he said.
Loud wails rent the air at the Police Lines area here as soon as the tricolour-draped coffin of Inspector Masroor Ahmad Wani was brought for a wreath laying ceremony.
“You always wanted to become a police officer,” said a teary-eyed Wani’s sister who was amid the family and colleagues gathered here to bid the final goodbye to the cop who was killed in a terror attack.
Additional Director General of Police, Armed, S J M Gillani, Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, J-K, Vijay Kumar, and Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, V K Birdi, laid floral wreaths on Wani’s coffin.
Wani’s wife was expecting their first child when her husband fell to the bullets of terrorists. She stood numb amidst the commotion.
Wani’s younger brother broke down in front of Wani’s coffin. He bowed to him and then raised his right hand for one final salute.
After his father and other relatives, Wani’s frail looking old mother took the photograph of her son which was placed in front of the coffin and kissed it many times.
“I want to kiss my son one more time,” she said every time she kissed the photograph.
Wani’s wife folded her hands before the coffin as if seeking forgiveness, and then took the photograph of Wani, in uniform, and kissed it a number of times.
Scores of people, including former J-K chief minister Omar Abdullah, thronged his residence to offer their condolences.
Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, IGP Kashmir, Deputy Director Intelligence Bureau, DIGs of all ranges of Kashmir, DIG-CID, and SSP, PCR Kashmir, also attended the meeting, the spokesman said. During the meeting, all officers briefed Kumar on the prevailing law and order situation and any such events that may emerge in view of the verdict, the spokesman said. In the meeting, all district heads were directed to keep an ear to the ground and take any preventive and punitive action against breachers of peace, he said.
