Only 200 militants present in the state.
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s Police Chief Ashok Prasad has said there is no substance in media reports suggesting that a large number of educated people have taken up arms to fight New Delhi’s rule in the valley.
He has also trashed reports that there was an escalation in militancy in the state.
“This matter has been taken seriously at highest levels in the police and the administration and police is conducting an inquiry. Preliminary results have not substantiated that the phenomenon exists,” Prasad told a local news agency KNS.
The police chief’s statement comes days after the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was a worrying issue that militants killed in recent gunfights were well-qualified.
The DGP said the militants killed recently in gunbattles with security forces were “old identified commanders” and that the fact that they were educated was “an aberration”.
“There is no such phenomenon that educated people are suddenly taking up arms or that there is a great deal of motivation for educated people to join militancy.”
The police chief, while talking about a slain militant who had a technical degree, said: “His reason for joining militancy has more to do with the fact that his friends and family members have been militants.”
“In fact in grenade throwing incidents in Anantnag District the profile of arrested youth indicates that most of them were extremely poor with very low levels of education and had joined militancy only to secure their livelihood.”
Prasad, however, said that the police will enquire further into the matter and details of the individual militants killed in encounters would be made available.
‘Militancy Waning’
The police chief trashed reports of a rise in militancy in the state where a two-decade old armed conflict between militants and security forces has been waning in recent years.
“There was 30 per cent reduction in militancy incidents this year and 30 per cent reduction in the last year. Militancy is on a decline and the downward trend in militancy is continuing,” he said.
He said the recent attacks on security forces should not be taken as an alarming situation. “These attacks and deaths happened because of the operational laxity of forces and also because they were targeted.”
Prasad said there were only around 200 militants present in the state.
“On the basis of our assessment the number of militants is roughly around 160 to 180 in the valley and about 20 to 25 in Jammu region,” he said and added that 10 to 12 of the militants are important commanders who are the “backbone of militancy”.
“When a commander is arrested, the task becomes easier for us and the rest of the group disappears,” he said.
