Hindustani78
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Just another day: Police personnel checking a vehicle during a search in Srinagar.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...led-in-2018/article25115625.ece?homepage=true
Heightened militant attacks lead to highest casualties in two decades.
The Jammu and Kashmir police witnessed the highest number of casualties among its men in two decades, with 37 policemen killed in 2018 in heightened militant attacks on them, according to police data. Of the 37 policemen, eight were special police officers (SPOs) and 29 were ‘regular’ policemen.
The data also shows that J&K Police lost 31 men to militant attacks in 2017, with increased militancy in the wake of Pakistan based militant commander killing in 2016. “However, this year [2018] J&K police saw even more casualties than the last year [2017],” said a police officer.
The highest number of 23 policemen were killed in the first half of the year. Even during the Ramzan ceasefire, when security forces followed a cessation of operations from May 16 up to June 17, militant attacks continued and left five policemen dead.
The abduction and killing of three policemen by over two dozen militants on September 21 in Shopian triggered a wave of panic in the police ranks, especially among lower-rung SPOs in south Kashmir. According to police figures, 47 policemen, mainly lower-rung SPOs, uploaded videos online and made public announcements of their resignations.
SPOs withdrawn
A police advisory has asked all policemen to “avoid visiting their homes in south Kashmir without informing the respective police stations.” In a fresh order, under-trained SPOs, who have of late become the targets of militants in south Kashmir, have been withdrawn from serving as personal security officers to senior police officers and protected persons.
“SPOs performing duties of personal security officers is not as per the norms and [they are] not trained to do so,” said an order issued by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, Muneer Khan. The order also seeks a list of SPOs withdrawn by October 5. “In case any SPO does not report back, the honorarium may not be released and their disengagement orders will be issued,” reads the order.
The fresh order comes in the wake of resignations made by the SPOs, and the latest case of a SPO stealing eight service rifles from a legislator in Srinagar.
Rifles looted
In another disturbing trend, militants made 25 attempts to snatch weapons this year, and succeeded in decamping with 24 service rifles from the policemen, mainly in the volatile districts of south Kashmir. There is a spike in such incidents, too, with only 15 cases of rifle snatching reported in central and south Kashmir in 2016. The gun snatching forced the police to set a new standard operating procedure, which included banning the use of mobile phones while on duty.