‘97 pistols recovered this year’
Srinagar: Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Range, Vijay Kumar on Thursday said there is a frustration across the fence because of peaceful atmosphere in the Kashmir valley, where the footfall of tourists has witnessed many fold increase and successful visit of Union Ministers and Members of Parliament (MP) during the past two months.
Now the handlers are using “ hybrid and part time” militants to hit soft targets and resume their normal activities, Kumar told a news conference, also addressed by General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps Lt General D P Pandey here Thursday afternoon.
He said the frustration was visible in Pak handlers after there was no violence or demonstration post death of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Tourists’ arrival has increased and Union ministers and MPs visited different parts of the valley, including far flung and remote areas to meet people and take review of the development works.
When asked about the hybrid and part time militants, he said these are the people who have no past police record. Kumar said we arrested 18 Over Ground Workers (OGWs) recently. We were surprised to see that we had no record about 16 of them, he said adding these hybrids and part time militants were given pistols to hit soft targets during evening hours and hand over the weapon back and resume normal activities.
Kumar said these hybrid and part time militants were promoted to target unarmed policemen, civilians and politicians in the Valley.
He said only yesterday a militant shot at and injured a shopkeeper, son of a policeman. He was later declared an informer by TRF when he was an innocent civilian.
Later, we got information that the militant was hiding in a Shopian village. We gave him enough chance to surrender and his parents—father and mother—also requested him to lay down the arms. But the militant continued firing and was finally killed in the encounter with security forces.
He said security forces have recovered 97 pistols from the militants this year.