The top brass in the Jammu and Kashmir police have taken a serious note of Gun- snatching incidents in the valley and directed the authorities in the police to review the security of all politicians and minority pickets.The District SP’s have also been asked to pay surprise visit to all minority pickets and houses of those politicians who are under the security cover.Rifle snatching incidents and attacks on security forces have increased since the unrest in Kashmir after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.Sources said that the security agencies in Kashmir are worried over growing number of rifle snatching amid ongoing unrest in the Valley. “Due to decrease in infiltration bids which brought arms and ammunition into Kashmir, snatching rifle from police and other security officials earns a ticket for joining militant ranks,” an officer in J&K Police’s CI Department, said.
Sources told KNS that Director General of Police K. Rajindra have taken a serious note of breach of security at politicians’ houses where militants had snatched rifles from SPOs.A senior police official told KNS that on directions of the DGP, police is reviewing security of politicians and the bureaucrats who are facing threats from various quarters. “Rifle snatching from PSOs at politician’s houses is a serious security breach and has become a worrisome for the security agencies. The top brass in the police has taken a serious note of it and has directed all the District SP’s to review the security of politicians to ensure such incidents not to be repeated,” the official said.He said that the top brass in police have given various suggestions after reviewing the security of various politicians to ensure they are not harmed. “The directions have been passed that there must be routine surprise checking of the houses of politicians who are under the security cover. The need of regular visits to minority pickets were also emphasized,”For the last three month, over eight incidents of rifle snatching incidents have happen when militants barged into various politicians’ houses and snatched rifles from there.
Police said militants snatched five weapons from security guards at a minority picket in Samnoo area of Kulgam district, also two rifles were snatched few days before in south Kashmir.Recently, a former lawmaker’s security guard was robbed of a Kalashnikov by militants in south Kashmir.According to police sources, the militants barged into the residence of Abdul Rehman Tukroo, a CPI leader, in Shopian district and snatched an AK-47 assault rifle from his personal security officer.Police has identified the prime accused as Wasim Khanday, who is in his twenties.“The prime accused is a relative of Tukroo and he has been on our radar for quite some time. We have filed a case against him and a probe is on to nab him,” a senior police officer said.The incident comes days after militants robbed four Kalashnikovs from policemen guarding the house of the ruling PDP’s district president, Advocate Javid Ahmad Sheikh, at Dialgam village in south Kashmir onSeptember 18.
On September 8, militants snatched four rifles from the security officers of National Conference leader Abdul Rashid Khanday in Begom village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam.Police later suspended four officials for “cowardice” and dereliction of duty. Earlier inAugust, unknown men snatched four rifles from PDP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Nazir Ahmad Laway’s residence in south Kashmir. An annexe to Laway’s house at Kulgam was also set on fire in the process.Police reports said the militants barged into the house of the PDP leader where they overpowered the guards, who were later suspended, before snatching their rifles.In June, police questioned a BJP leader whose personal security officer was robbed of his service rifle by suspected militants in central Kashmir’s Chadoora.In the recent incident Militants had decamped with 5 guns after snatching it from policemen who were guarding the TV tower at Ananthnag.In the past two years, militants have resorted to more than half a dozen hit and run attacks besides injuring the forces and snatching their rifles. This is worrisome,” a top police official told KNS.He said it is a disturbing new reality, but most of the times attempts made to snatch weapons have been foiled. “Efforts have been made to ensure this doesn’t get repeated,” the officer added. (KNS)