SRINAGAR, Aug 21: Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar on Saturday said security forces were alert and would handle all challenges, including that of the Taliban, in the Valley.
He sought the cooperation of the people in maintaining peace in Jammu and Kashmir. “Speaking as a police officer whichever terrorist comes here, it is my job to generate input and neutralise him, as well as the threat, in an operation with the Army,” Kumar told reporters at the headquarters of the Army’s Victor Force in Awantipora area of Pulwama district.
“We will handle all the challenges in a professional manner and we are totally alert,” he said when asked about the threat of the Taliban in Kashmir. The IGP urged people to share information about militants, suicide bombers, or someone planning to set up IEDs, saying the society is harmed by such elements.
“If there is a major incident, the locals will be the first to suffer, tourists will fear coming here, so whose economy will it impact? It is the local economy. So, I request the people to share with police or security forces any such information,” he added.
Asked about attacks on political workers, Kumar said they were a soft target for militants. “Political workers have been continuously targeted as they are soft targets like policemen when they visit their homes or journalists who speak the truth. It has happened before as well,” he said.
The IGP said while the police were providing security to maximum such persons, it is “not possible” to provide security to all. “However, if anyone has a threat perception or lives in a vulnerable area, then he will be provided with security after assessment,” Kumar said.
He said the police have got a lead in the recent killing of Apni Party leader Ghulam Rasool Lone in Kulgam district. “We have got leads and very soon we will either arrest them or neutralise them, in an encounter,” he added.
Lone was shot dead by militants in the Devsar area of Kulgam on Thursday. (Agencies)
