19 special counter-terror units to come up in 8 Jammu districts

Police sources said that the decision to establish the units — which will be headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy SP — was taken Wednesday. The units have been formed on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operation Group, which was disbanded at most places across Jammu division following restoration of peace after the mid-2000s, sources said.

The units will remain stationed in areas which have been witnessing movement of militants such as Malhar and Bani in Kathua district where five soldiers were killed and an equal number of persons injured after militants attacked an army convoy at Badnota village near Machedi on July 9.

While one unit each will be deployed in Reasi district’s Pouni-Ransoo, Mahore, Chassana and Gulabgarh areas, besides Baffliaz-Behramgalla, Mandi-Loran and Gursai areas of border Poonch district.

Terrorists had on June 9 attacked a Katrao-bound bus carrying pilgrims near Ransoo in Pouni area, killing nine and injuring scores of others.

Similarly, there had been many incidents of terror attacks on the security forces in forest areas falling in close vicinity to Baffliaz-Behramgalla on the Mughal road which connects border Poonch district with Shopian in Kashmir Valley.

The areas of Mandi, Loran and Gursai fall on old infiltration routes of terrorists who after crossing the Line of Control from Sawjian and Mendhar proceed towards areas of Poonch-Rajouri districts or Kashmir Valley.

Sources said that one unit each will be deployed for Latti and Pancheri areas of Udhampur district, Desa-Kastigarh and Assar areas of Doda district, Dachhan and Drabshalla in Kishtwar district, Kalakote in Rajouri and Ramban district’s Ramsoo, Chanderkote-Batote and Sangaldan-Dharamkund areas.

Sources said these special police units will carry out counter terror operations and also prevent routine crime.

There was no special operation group in districts like Kathua, Samba, Ramban and Udhampur. Even where it existed in places like Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri, it only had a skeletal staff working under the DySP Headquarters of respective districts, sources said.

Last month, about 560 fresh police recruits — part of 960 jawans recruited for deployment in the area they came from — were deployed in border areas of Jammu division to combat infiltration and terrorism.

“The selections will be made from the border areas and they will be deployed in the border areas,” J&K Police DGP R R Swain had said, adding, “They will work only on anti-infiltration and anti-terrorism fronts and they will not be deployed as PSOs (personal security officers) or in the office or for any other extra work.”

“Their supervisory officers too have been strictly instructed that they cannot be shifted to other jobs than their original anti-infiltration and anti-terrorism work,” Swain had said.