Not returning militants’ bodies to families effective in checking recruitment: DGP Dilbag Singh

Not returning militants’ bodies to families effective in checking recruitment: DGP Dilbag Singh

New Delhi: J&K Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh has said in an interview to a national daily that the J&K Police’s decision not to return bodies of militants to their families, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, has been “a very effective method in checking recruitment.” “Generally, during funerals, with passions running high, some boys would simply leave their houses and go and join terrorist ranks. That is not happening now. That is one big benefit that has come through. I think we have been able to save many young lives because of this. Maybe the families will not like it but when you look at the interest of the society at large, this practice has been relevant and useful in checking the recruitment of terrorist cadres,” Singh said.

The DGP said that the situation in J&K has changed dramatically in the past four years. “Earlier there would be serious engagement at encounter sites, people would get agitated, and they would throw stones. No such thing anymore. This is another big change. The provocations for these episodes would come in different forms. Handlers from across (Pakistan) would send messages, appealing to people to come out on the streets and engage with security forces, to ensure that terrorists holed up in a particular place are given cover to escape. Not a single incident has taken place in the last four years.”

He also credited the security forces’ “strong self-restraint”.

“They have been very responsible, barring one or two incidents of abrasions that took place and which were taken very seriously by senior authorities,” the top cop said.

 

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