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Double Deal |
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There is a need of an investigative process to arrest the fake currency trail
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By Radhavinod Raju |
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The years 2000 and 2001 were the worst in the fight against terrorism in Jammu &
Kashmir. A large number of battle-hardened militants had infiltrated into the
state during this period, in the immediate aftermath of the Kargil war. Fidayeen
attacks had started, with a number of attacks taking place in the Valley and in
the Jammu province. Jammu & Kashmir police alone lost over a hundred men in each
of these two years. Infiltration was taking place all along the international
border in Jammu and Kathua districts, and in Poonch and Rajouri districts of the
Jammu province. Officers and men of the Jammu & Kashmir police, together with
those of the Paramilitaries and the army, were engaged on a day-to-day basis in
fighting the terrorists. From 1990 to 1995, Poonch and Rajouri districts were
used by terrorists mainly as infiltration routes, avoiding confrontation with
security forces. It was not possible to guard every inch of the border in these
districts to prevent infiltration due to the difficult topography. |
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Upper reaches of the mountains in Poonch were used by the terrorists as
hideouts, living in caves, using the mountainous route from Poonch to Shopian in
the Valley to cross over into Kashmir. Though the border along Jammu and Kathua
districts is called the international border, even this region was used by the
terrorists to cross over into the State. They had guides who knew gaps in the
border where deployment of forces was not easy on account of the topography.The
state police focused on collection of intelligence about infiltration by
terrorists, the routes used by them and the hideouts where they could be located
and neutralised them in joint |
operations with the army and the
Para-military forces. With their spread in the districts, and their local
knowledge of men and the topography, the state police were the best equipped to
collect information that was actionable. So they focused on collection of
intelligence and operations, fortifying their police stations and police posts,
and other sensitive and vulnerable installations situated along the infiltration
routes to withstand terrorist attacks. As a result, little attention was given
to any kind of investigations of cases — including those linked with terrorists.
It was under these circumstances that, on Gandhi Jayanti in 2000, a constable, posted in the district of Kathua, was going to his hometown of Vijaypur, on casual leave. Kathua is about 80 kilometers from Jammu, and falls along the national highway. There are several points along the highway that are close to the international border, and are used as popular inroads by terrorists to infiltrate into the state. Vijaypur is situated about 30 kilometers from Jammu on the highway to Kathua close to a town called Samba which is about 15 kilometers further off, towards Kathua. In fact, three Jammu & Kashmir policemen had been killed by terrorists on Christmas eve in 1999 in Supwal, a village close to Samba, which is presently the district headquarter, after a confrontation with the terrorists.
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MAY 2012
Issue
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