The Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said that the security forces will further intensify anti-militancy operations across the Valley, despite facing multiple challenges in view of COVID-19 pandemic and law and order situation.Reports reaching GNS said that the DGP said that it was after a long time, police and security forces were facing multiple challenges in Jammu and Kashmir.“COVID in itself is a big challenge. Thousands of policemen and other forces are deployed around quarantine centres and hospitals. Our teams are covering contract tracing teams and are looking after red and orange zones. And besides it, the forces are also tackling law and order situation and carrying out counter-terrorist operations,” Singh told media men at the RTC Humhama after attending the wreath-laying ceremony of three CRPF troopers killed in Handwara on Monday.“In the coming days, we will speed up the pace in anti-militancy ops. I am sure the forces are capable of dealing with multiple challenges,” he said.Divulging details of Qaziabad encounter, DGP said that the CRPF troopers were facing an orchard when they observed a civilian crowd passing through it.
The troopers, he said ordered the civilians to stop and come ahead for checking.“Two men who opened fire at the party. They also returned the fire. Two of our men died at the spot while another was critically injured. A mentally unsound (physically challenged) boy who was part of the civil crowd also died in the incident,” he said.Meanwhile, Special DG CRPF Zulfiqar Hassan said that the security forces will track those responsible for the Qaziabad attack.“Attacks keep on happening in Valley. Indian army, CRPF and police have upper hand in fight against the militancy and anti-national organisations. We are on top of the situation. Sometimes, such incidents happen when we lose our men,” he according to GNS said.Special DG also expressed regret over the death of a teenager in the cross-firing. He said the death was being probed thoroughly.When asked if steel bullets were used by the militants leading to fatalities among CRPF men, the officer said that these are operational details and as such can’t be revealed. (GNS)