After decades of gun-wielding security personnel guarding every stretch in Jammu and Kashmir, there will soon be a visible change in the Valley which will witness baton-wielding constables doing rounds in areas once witness to militant violence. These policemen, who were carrying arms till now, are being given training in using batons and doing routine beat patrolling duties. The Union home ministry has asked the J&K government to give emphasis on training of the state police in law and order duties. The move is simultaneous to the ongoing efforts of the state government to de-notify Srinagar under the Disturbed Areas Act thus rendering the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) redundant in the capital city. More than 2,000 security personnel are being moved out of civilian areas to border areas.
The home ministry has sought an overhauling of the state police force before further steps are taken to “de-militarise” Srinagar and other cities. “There has to be a complete change of mindset of the state police. Rather than carrying guns and stopping local residents for checkings at every post, the focus will now be protection against crimes and undertaking normal policing activities,” a senior MHA official said. This includes modernisation and training of the police as per the present law and order scenario, speedy registration of FIRs, setting up of women police stations among others.
“The deployment of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir has remained unchanged from the time when militancy was at its peak. There is a realisation that the Army and the Central paramilitary forces are not required inside the cities in the same way,” the official said.
The three-member interlocutor group, appointed by the Centre to initiate a peace dialogue in J&K, submitted their first report to the home ministry last month entailing a slew of administrative measures which included enhancing the capacity of the state police to tackle law and order situations.