Killing militant brings better reward now

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 10

Jammu and Kashmir has enhanced the cash reward for killing militants in encounters. Any most wanted militant commander now carries a hefty bounty of  Rs 12.5 lakh on his head. The order to enhance the reward for killing militants was issued almost two months ago during the PDP-BJP rule when the Home Department was under then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

The reward for killing a most wanted militant listed in “A plus plus” category has been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh to 12.5 lakh. The cash reward for all other categories of militants — “A plus”, “A”, “B” and “C” — has been enhanced as well.

The categorisation of militants  is done by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on how hardcore a militant is and how long he has been active in the area. “The cash reward for eliminating militants has been increased,” said a top J&K official.

The number of militants in Kashmir has sharply declined over the last decade and there are around 150 militant active in the Valley.  The police have listed nearly a dozen militants active in Kashmir in the “A plus plus” category. The most wanted militants listed in the “A plus plus” category include north Kashmir-based Qayoom Najar and south Kashmir-based Burhan Wani.

A few foreign militants, including Abu Huraira and Abu Dujana of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, fall in the most wanted list. Nearly two dozen militants have been listed in the “A plus” category, who carry a reward of Rs 7.5 lakh on their heads. Sources have said the reward money paid after killing a militant is deposited in the account of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) concerned  and the booty shared by the men and informers instrumental in generating the inputs after which an operation is launched.

The reward money is audited and shared after the SSP examines the muster role involved of the men in the operation. Apart from cash rewards, policemen  involved in anti-militancy operations in the past have been recommended for and awarded  out-of-turn promotions.