Davinder Singh was black sheep in police: Adviser

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 14

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor’s Adviser Farooq Khan today described Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Davinder Singh, who was arrested along with two Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants, a black sheep in the J&K Police and said “every aspect of his involvement in terror activities would be investigated thoroughly”.

“In any organisation, there are black sheep and he (Davinder Singh) was the one in the police. The credit goes to the J&K police for identifying him and exposing the conspiracy being hatched by him with terrorists,” Khan told reporters on the sidelines of a function in connection with Veterans Day at Balidaan Stambh here.

Khan, a retired IPS officer who was instrumental in breaking the backbone of militancy in the 1990s, refused to share more details of the ongoing investigation in the case, but said the case would be thoroughly looked into from all aspects.

“I will not comment on the investigation in the case so far because it is the prerogative of the investigating agencies to make any statement in this regard. The investigation into the case is continuing and every aspect will be investigated thoroughly,” he said.

The J&K Police had arrested Davinder Singh at Mir Bazar in Kulgam district of south Kashmir along with HM militantsNaveed Baba and Altaf.

Asked whether the arrest of the DSP would make any impact on the image of the J&K police force, Khan pointed out that even the people who nabbed the DSP were policemen.

“It (arrest of the DSP) will have no bearing on the image of the police. The uniform of the police is full of blood of its martyrs. The J&K Police has a history of making thousands of sacrifices in its fight against terrorism, so one black sheep or one rotten fish cannot contaminate the police pond,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has raised questions over the role of Davinder Singh for ferrying militants to Parliament and Pulwama attacks and asked if he was “only a pawn” in a “bigger conspiracy”.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s tweet, “Had Davindar Singh by default been Davindar Khan, the reaction of the troll regiment of the RSS would have been more strident and vociferous. Enemies of our country ought to be condemned irrespective of colour, creed, and religion”, has sparked a war of words.

On political reactions to the arrest, the Adviser said, “I would not like to comment on these. Unfortunately, the political parties play politics over the incidents which have a direct bearing on the national security. Such issues should not be politicised”.

Over the ongoing anti-terror operations in J&K, “I do not go in the number game (how many terrorists are still active). In the last one week, six militants have been eliminated. A strict vigil is being maintained on militants and operations to nab or neutralise them are on. They will continue till terrorism is finished.”

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