New Delhi, November 23
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday warned that terrorist groups may try to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and asked the security forces to remain alert.

The Prime Minister said this while referring to the brazen attacks on security forces in J-K during his address at the concluding session of the three-day conference of Director Generals of Police.

Pointing out the need to maintain increased vigil in view of the resurgence of terrorist groups, particularly Lashkar-e-Toiba and increased infiltration attempts in the state, he said: “There is also a likelihood of attempts to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The security forces also need to be careful and measured in their response to militant attacks as well as law and order disturbances.”

The police force faces several challenges, including terror attacks, communal clashes, misuse of social media and SMSes, cyber security and Naxal violence, said the PM. Pointing to the communal clash in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in UP, he said, law and order agencies must ensure that trivial or local issues are not exploited by vested interests to fan communal passions.

The Prime Minister emphasised that DGPs have the responsibility to ensure that their personnel act in an apt manner, especially while dealing with communal tension. “I expect all DGPs to remain careful in this regard,” said Manmohan Singh. In this context, he mentioned the misuse of social media and SMSes to incite violence during the Muzaffarnagar riots. On related field of cyber security, the Prime Minister said there was a scope for improvement in present capabilities.