Policemen bear the brunt of militancy

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 15

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have suffered the major brunt of militancy this year. In all, 23 policemen have been killed by militants which is around 35 per cent more than the previous year.

Last year, 31 J&K policemen were killed by militants which was the highest in nearly two decades. Of them, 17 were killed till mid-July.

According to information, 42 security men have been killed in the hinterland and along the Line of Control this year in Kashmir. While the police suffered highest casualties, the Army lost 14 of its men, CRPF four and the BSF one.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Swayam Prakash Pani said the police was taking all possible measures to thwart the attacks.

“The attacks on security forces are a reflection of the terror activities here. Terrorist organisations try to escalate the violence by doing these kind of attacks. The police are taking all possible measures to thwart the attacks as well as strike the terror infrastructure behind such attacks,” Pani told The Tribune.

Of the 23 policemen killed this year, 10 were killed in south Kashmir districts which have been the epicentre of the new-age militancy, six in north Kashmir districts and seven in central Kashmir districts.

A police officer said a majority of the policemen killed this year had not been killed in gunfights but in attacks which were carried out at their homes. Some of them were kidnapped too.

He said around 100 militants had also been killed by the forces this year, which was higher than the corresponding period.

“This year, we did not have any major suicide attack like in 2017,” he said.

According to officials, June was the worst month for the police as at least eight of its men were killed by militants. In January, February and March, four policemen were killed in each month. The months of April and May witnessed one killing each.

During the cessation of operations which was announced by the Union government on May 16 and called off on June 17, five policemen were killed by militants.

J&K Police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said the high number of fatalities “is because the police are at the forefront of fighting terrorism”.

“It indicates that militants are feeling threatened and are therefore targeting the police,” Vaid told The Tribune.

Major attacks on cops

• January 6: Four policemen, including an officer, were killed in an improvised explosive device blast in Sopore 
• February 6: Two policemen were killed in an attack by militants inside the premier city hospital in which a top Pakistani Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Naveed managed to escape
• March 20 and 21: Five foreign militants, three Army and two policemen were killed in Kupwara district.
• June 12: Two policemen killed and another injured in a militant attack in Pulwama
• June 14: Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari and two policemen killed in a militant attack in Srinagar