General Officer Commanding, Kilo force, Major General Rajinder Singh


In your area (Kupwara), how has the militancy situation evolved in the last one year?

Infiltration levels in the last year have been comparable to previous years; however due to very heavy snowfall this winter, infiltration in 2008, so far, have been negligible. Violence level and terrorist related incidents have however shown a decline vis a vis earlier years. Army has maintained sustained pressure on the militants by targeting their leadership thereby retaining ascendancy and conducting surgical operations based on hard intelligence.

In the last one year, people in the Valley have been talking about increased normalisation. How real is this perception? Do you think this phase will continue or will there be an increase in violence in the run-up to the elections?

Going by the statistics and also seeing the day to day activities, one can infer that the process of normalisation is on in the Valley. The awam (local populace) by and large does not support the anti-national elements or their activities. Their perception of normalcy is largely influenced by the yearning for peace. Total normalcy can only return when militants present in Jammu and Kashmir are eliminated and infiltration stops. Terrorists are likely to attempt to increase violence levels before the elections; however, the security forces are geared up to meet the challenge. The Samba incident and later the terrorist attacks in Jaipur indicate that there is a possibility of violence going up.

The state police and the Para-military have had a few notable successes against the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in the last few months. How crucial are these in terms of militant activities in the state, especially in the view of the forthcoming elections?

Neutralisation of any militant cadre is a positive development in terms of curbing militant-related activities. Therefore, any successful elimination of militants including the HM would have a direct bearing on the run-up to the forthcoming elections. Conduct of synergised operations by security forces which include state police and Para-military forces have resulted in successful operations.