Kulgam 27 May (KNS): Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir Dilbagh Singh on Thursday said that covid-19 has hampered anti-militancy operations to some extent but it is not like that there has been breathing space for militants.
Talking to media during his tour to Kulgam to review the security measures, he said that police is fighting the Covid pandemic and enforcing lockdown through its deployments on roads and streets across the Valley and specific lead-based anti-militancy operations are being conducted in South Kashmir and other parts of Kashmir.
"Anti-militancy operations are not on a pause and it was not like police have given a free hand to militants to roam around as operations are being conducted on the basis of specific inputs in areas", he added.
According to Kashmir News Service correspondent, the Police chief also said that anti-militancy operations have been affected due to covid-19 and it is not like that there is breathing space for militants to roam around but many Policemen have been tested positive for COVID-19 and many have been deployed on roads to enforce lockdown, he said.
On being asked whether the militancy recruitment has gone down, he said that police never wants youth to join militancy and has been always trying to bring them back on the right path.
"a group of youth from Kulgam who were about to join militancy were brought back and in other parts as well youth have been prevented from choosing the wrong path", he added.
He also said that Police have been able to motivate youths to surrender during live encounters and efforts are on to bring misguided youth back.
"Many militant outfits are getting oxygen from another side to lure local youth to join militancy. Unfortunately, the recruitment is still going but the graph is low" he added.
Replying on a total number of active militants active in South Kashmir, the police chief said that since the number of militants keeps on fluctuate with time, at present there are about 100 militants active in southern districts of Kashmir. (KNS)