Aggrieved by the cold blooded murder of a complete family of the nationalists in the near vicinity of a police station and with 10 PSOs detailed for their protection, Brig Veteran Anil Gupta, Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party has called for a thorough review of the entire gamut of providing security to the threatened people. Despite the fact that there was a threat to their lives and heightened security alert due to the anniversary of the killing of Burhan Wani, the terrorists have been able to approach the target at will and murder three members of a family speaks very poor of the entire system. Such outrageous and cowardly act of the terrorists may act as a morale booster for the demoralised terrorist cadre but at the same time leads to loss of precious human lives. Coming close at the heels of the dastardly murder of SarpanchPandita Bharti, one is compelled to question if we value human lives, stated Brig Gupta?
Terrorism in Kashmir is not new and neither the murder of mainstream political leaders or nationalist voices is a new phenomenon. But regretfully, the police has not changed its system of providing personal security. The drill of providing PSOs for providing personal security is a system evolved to satisfy the environment that security is being provided but falls woefully short of the purpose of safeguarding their lives. A detailed analysis of killings so far with relation to on how many occasions the PSOs have been able to take on the terrorists and save the protectee’s life should open the eyes and ears of authorities concerned rued Brig Gupta.
Provision of personal security which involves close security and peripheral security is a specialised job and cannot be trusted to any and every policeman unless he is trained for the task. If SPG, NSG and other CAPFs can be trained and equipped for VIP security why the police of a terrorist infested state and now a UT cannot have a specialist‘Personal Security Wing? “How often we would keep losing precious lives like these, make loud noises for a few days and then forget everything and leave the elected representatives or political workers working at the grassroots level to their own fate,” questioned Brig Gupta. Such acts not only demotivate the nationalist forces but also create a “khauf” (sense of fear) among the people contributing to the terrorists’ aim.
Even now it is not late and the Police hierarchy needs to recalibrate its policy of selecting personnel for personal security based on certain parameters to include physical fitness, sharp shooting skills, mental alertness, and age, also security clearance. These selected personnel should be put through a training capsule before being deployed on duty recommended Brig Gupta. Ultimately, the police should go in for raising a separate Personal Security Wing.
Brig Gupta also condemned Pakistan for sponsoring the killings of innocent Kashmiris in order to supress the nationalist forces and promote anti-India lobby. “To beat this nefarious design of our neighbouring enemy the administration will have to put premium on the lives of political workers and people’s representatives by providing them fool proof security,” asserted Brig Gupta.