Within days of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh assuring full support for students from the Valley, Punjab Police has set up an exclusive desk for prompt redressal of complaints of people from Kashmir.The desk is accessible on the toll-free helpline number 181 of the police, and will ensure prompt and effective response for Kashmiri students facing any kind of harassment or trouble in the state.The proactive initiative is triggered by reports of persecution of Kashmiri students and others in different parts of the country following the devastating Pulwama terror attack. Captain Amarinder had announced within hours of the attack that his government would ensure the full safety and security of Kashmiris in the state and would not allow them to be harassed in any way.Kashmiris are as much a part of India as Kashmir is and abusing or harassing them for the act of ISI-backed terrorists is not only unconstitutional but also inhuman, the Chief Minister has maintained since reports of attacks on Kashmiri students, traders etc started surfacing from various states.The new helpline, with the special Kashmir desk, is aimed at providing full protection to the Kashmiris living in Punjab.
It will promptly respond to and address any complaint of harassment or intimidation of people/students belonging to Jammu & Kashmir. The victims can call on 181 or send an SMS or Whatsapp message on 76961-81181. They can also fax their complaint on 0172-6626181 and e-mail it to [email protected] Punjab Police has designated Surjeet Singh, DIG/Law & Order, as the nodal officer for managing the response and redressal of the complaints or grievances, which will be attended to immediately and responded without delay. According to a Punjab Police notification, the DIG will oversee all issues/grievances pertaining to people/students of J&K living in the jurisdiction of State of Punjab.“Any such person/student belonging to J&K in distress can approach the nodal officer on his mobile number 94645-00004 or office number 0172-2747767 at Punjab Police Headquarters, Sector-9, Chandigarh,” it says.According to an official spokesperson, the Chief Minister has directed the police department to ensure that all complaints and grievances shared by the Kashmiris in Punjab are promptly redressed. No laxity would be tolerated in this regard, he has made it clear.