On Monday, R R Swain, the chief of Jammu and Kashmir Police, stated that although there has been a decrease in terrorism in the region, it has not entirely disappeared. He urged his officers to strive for peace so that candidates and voters can participate in elections without fear.
The challenge for 2024, according to Swain’s New Year’s message to law enforcement officials, is to prevent the demolished terror ecosystem from “taking roots or resurfacing even marginally in any form.”
The Supreme Court has ordered the Centre to schedule the eagerly awaited Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections by September 30 of this year. The five-year terms of the union territory’s urban local bodies and panchayats are now over.
In his five-page message, the director general of police (DGP) said, “We need to be fully prepared to ensure a peaceful environment… where ordinary young men and women without pedigree but committed to transparent governance and well-being of their electorate feel free to vote as voters and compete with each other to be voted to power as candidates without the fear of the lurking gun of the separatists and the soft separatists used through the hapless terrorists.”
He said the peaceful environment is a prerequisite for investments, employment generation, and establishment of new enterprises.
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“Let me remind everyone that despite the progress made, there is no place for complacency. We continue to face difficulties. Terrorism has decreased but is still present. We simply cannot afford to let our guard down.
“The enemy is and will keep attempting to undermine peace through a variety of strategies. Any such attempt must be stopped before it has a chance to spread,” stated Swain.
He declared that “we have to show real empathy and compassion for our fellow peace-loving citizens” in addition to the zero-tolerance policy towards any action or individual endangering the safety of the local communities and the nation’s peace and stability.
“Till yesterday, the challenge was to dismantle the terror ecosystem in which significant progress has been achieved, and now, the new challenge is not to let it take root or re-surface even marginally in any form,” he added.
Swain said the force also faces challenges of drug menace and narco-terrorism.
“It is a security threat as well as a social evil. We need to work relentlessly to uproot it. We owe it to the society that J&K police shall keep our future generations free from this menace,” he said.
Swain also talked about the challenge posed by artificial intelligence (AI) warfare and warned that the threat is going to get stronger shortly.
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“So, while we continue to improve upon the traditional methods and practices of maintaining peace as well as counter-terrorism efforts, we need to keep honing our skills in technology and AI-backed policing with an urgency,” he said.
Lauding the role of the police force, the DGP said over 1,600 police personnel have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in the past three decades of terrorism.
“This proud professional force has given enormous sacrifices to get J&K out of the clutches of sponsored terrorism and ensure an enabling environment for fostering peace and development,” he said.
He said the Jammu and Kashmir Police is a unique police force in the country as it has the “onerous” responsibility of maintaining law and order on the streets and battling terrorists with and without guns.
Swain also hailed the force for playing a lead role in realising the vision of ‘Naya Kashmir’ as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The DGP said police personnel and their families faced pressures in the past from “bullies and goons working secretly on behalf of the terrorist and secessionist networks”.
“We will do everything possible to fight any attempt to vilify you only because you are a member of JK Police,” he said.
(Source: PTI)
