Those aiding terrorists to be dealt with under Enemy Agents Ordinance: J&K DGP

Jammu, June 24

Locals who are found supporting foreign terrorists will be dealt with under the Enemy Agents Ordinance, which is much harsher than Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police RR Swain said on Sunday.

The Jammu region will be cleared of all foreign terrorists within the next few months, he claimed.

Talking to reporters, the police chief said the National Investigation Agency has taken over the investigation in the June 9 terror attack on a pilgrim bus in Reasi district. He said police here had also arrested six people in connection with the firing incident in Kathua district on June 12 and the case was handed over to the State Investigation Agency.

Ten people, including seven pilgrims, returning from Shiv Khori temple and a CRPF jawan were killed and scores of others injured in four terror incidents between June 9 and 12 in Reasi, Doda, and Kathua districts. Two Pakistani terrorists were also killed in one of the encounters in Kathua.

“Locals found supporting foreign terrorists will be dealt with by the enemy agents ordinance which carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment or death. This Act, introduced to counter Pakistani raiders or invaders in 1948, is much harsher than UAPA,” the DGP said.

He said the foreign mercenaries have no locus standi to be here and that they only come to kill civilians, trigger civil strife, destabilise the government, and force their ideology on the people.

“These fighters do not fall in the purview of investigation and only deserve kinetic action … I have always said that we will win this fight with the help of the people, with village defence guards, special police officers and in support of central armed forces,” he said.

Swain said terrorism was wiped out from Jammu in 2005, 10 years after it spread its tentacles to the region, and vowed to eliminate it again. “We are determined and confident of eliminating all the terrorists within the next two to three months.” He said special courts will be set up for trials of those arrested under Enemy Agents Ordinance. “There are two angles to it – one is, all I have to prove is that there was a foreigner and the person has assisted him,” he said.

Asked about the presence of Pakistani regulars among the terrorists operating in Jammu region, he said, “It hardly makes any difference. It is a matter of tactics, for us he is an enemy whether he has come from a uniformed background, a jail or a terror factory.” He added, “We will try to minimise such losses with the help of training, determination and tactics. We will defeat the enemy and if they think we are shying away just from the fear of losses, they are mistaken.” Asked about the terror attacks in Jammu region, he said police have made six arrests from Kathua and also made a breakthrough by arresting a conspirator in the Reasi terror attack case.

“Reasi terror attack case was handed over to NIA and similarly, the Kathua case was given to SIA. We actively consider handing over terror attack cases to professional agencies so that the investigation is carried out in a sustained way to unveil the conspiracy, identify those who facilitated, aided and abetted the crime and bring the culprits to book,” he said.