`PDP leader Pervez was advised by police to shift his residence as it was prone to militant attacks, he did not pay heed to repeated requests and regularly violated the security advisories’
Srinagar, December 14: Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbagh Singh on Monday said that the killing of a Personal Security Officer (PSO) of a PDP leader at Natipora, Srinagar, is an attempt to disrupt the ongoing District Development Council election and the prevailing peaceful environment across Kashmir.
Police have clues about the number of militants involved in the attack and area where they came from and that the “attackers will soon be brought to book, he told media persons on the sidelines of wreath laying ceremony of Manzoor Ahmed at District Police Lines Srinagar. One must understand that J&K is going through an important exercise at present—the exercise at the grassroots level and there is a huge participation of people, which is commendable, he added.
PSO Manzoor was guarding senior PDP leader Haji Pervez Ahmed at Natipora, Srinagar. He sustained bullet injuries after militants fired at him at Pervez’s residence early Monday morning. He was shifted to Bone and Joints Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
“There have been elaborate security arrangements, but we can’t put the movement of people to a complete halt while ensuring the grassroot level exercise,’’ J&K Police chief said, adding that “in between, there is a hidden movement of an odd number of anti-national elements as well”.
About PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s tweet wherein she has alleged that J&K administration has left the opposition leaders in a vulnerable position by downgrading their security, the DGP termed the allegations as baseless.
“The PDP leader (Haji Pervez Ahmed) at whose residence PSO Manzoor was killed, was asked by the police to shift the location on the pretext that his residence was in a congested area and prone to militant attacks,’’ DGP said, adding that “he never paid heed to our suggestions”. “He regularly violated security advisories,’’ the police chief said, adding “we reviewed his security and found there was a need of one PSO for him, but two were provided to him”.
To a query what was the motive of militants behind today’s attack, the J&K police chief said that the motive was to disrupt the ongoing election process and the peaceful environment prevailing in the Valley that was “managed by people and the security agencies including police after a lot of efforts.”
He said attacks like the one happened today can happen despite the security cover to the politicians. “BJP slain youth leader Waseem Bari had 10 PSOs but still got killed. “In today’s attack, we have a fair amount of clues about the number of militants who carried out the attack and the area from where they came from. I am sure police will track them down soon and bring them to justice,” the DGP said.
