Army, police officers discuss strategy to counter terrorism

Arjun Sharma

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Jammu, November 20

In the backdrop of increased terror activities in J&K, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi of the Northern Command and DGP RR Swain held discussions regarding coordination and synergy between the two forces on Monday. The Army and the police have in the recent past conducted well-coordinated operations in which many terrorists have been killed, especially in areas along the Line of Control (LoC).

The elite wing of the police — Special Operations Group (SOG) — has been at the forefront along with soldiers to fight trained terrorists in the jungles of the UT. “Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi interacted with DGP RR Swain to discuss about enhanced coordination between the forces, plans for zero tolerance on terror and the security and administrative arrangements in the wake of winters,” an Army official based in the Northern Command said.

With the onset of winters, high mountain passes are witnessing snow cover, leaving only a few areas along the LoC in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions with the possibility of infiltration. The police have in the recent times shared credible intelligence with the Army about the presence of terrorists at specific locations. An operation in Budhal of Rajouri on Friday was launched by both forces after the police received specific information.

It has been learnt that the top officers also discussed need of intelligence sharing between the two forces to act against the terrorists in time. There has been a trend wherein terrorists try to infiltrate into the Indian side before the onset of winter season. As the Army and the police in different operations have been able to eliminate many terrorists and seize their weapons, the terror organisations in Pakistan are desperate to send in more terrorists to J&K. Most of the terrorists behind the killings of minorities in Valley were eliminated in anti-insurgency operations. On the other hand, the Army, the police and the CRPF are holding search operations in forest areas of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi after receiving multiple intelligence inputs regarding suspicious movement in these districts.

The police and other security agencies are on high alert across Jammu and Kashmir, especially along the Line of Control, to thwart any infiltration attempt by terrorists before heavy snowfall blocks the possible infiltration routes, officials said. Anti-terrorist operations have also been intensified in the villages close to the forests and borders as part of area domination exercise, they said.