AFSPA J and K police got no means to take over from Army

We need more training, men to replace Army: DGP
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 13
Though there may be a lot of talk about and lobbying for the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some parts of the state, the ground reality reveals that the state police needs more manpower, training and infrastructure to take over the responsibility of tackling militants from the Army.

Though the police is in the process of enhancing its capabilities to take over the responsibility of countering militancy and it has raised five battalions this year, it still needs about 40,000 more personnel for effective presence and domination in the state.

While refusing to link the issue with the debate on the AFSPA, DGP Kuldeep Khoda, in an exclusive chat with The Tribune, said the police needed more men and machinery for effective domination over a region like the Army.

“We are on the way to achieve that. But we need about 50,000 personnel against the present strength of 31,000 of the armed police. And the civil police has to go beyond one lakh from the present strength of 82,000.”

The DGP said the police was capable of handling any responsibility but for the complete takeover of the responsibility to counter militancy, training, capability and infrastructure were also needed to be enhanced.

The militant attack on Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar in Srinagar two days ago has brought new focus to the demand for the revocation of the AFSPA. While the opposition parties, especially in Jammu, view the attack as testimony to their demand for the need of the Army in the state, others question why the AFSPA could not stop the attack.

Army sources say the fight against militancy had always been a joint effort of all security agencies. “The unified operations made the fight against militants successful. The Army and the police can never alone claim credit for it. But everyone knows which is better trained and equipped for counter-insurgency operations.”

Well-known defence analyst Maj Gen Goverdhan Singh Jamwal (retd) said even if the police had the required strength it could not take on the enemy which was well trained in modern warfare. “The police has a soft role to play. It deals with civil society. The Army is trained to kill the enemy. Terrorists are motivated to kill. Only a better trained, better battle-hardened security agency like the Army can handle them face to face.”

Maj Gen Jamwal said the militant attack on the Law Minister testified that militancy was not yet over. “We have less attacks because the AFSPA is there. Just imagine if there is no AFSPA, how many such attacks could happen?”

first published in The Tribune dated : December 14, 2011
link :http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111214/j&k.htm#2