BJP praises police for successful anti-terror operations in Jammu

Lauding the police for their alertness and professionalism in exposing terror networks active in the Jammu region, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Monday said it is the responsibility of every citizen to act as a frontline warrior against terror by acting as the eyes and ears of the security forces.

BJP spokesperson Brig. (retd) Anil Gupta also said while terror outfits carry out targeted killings and ambush security forces in Kashmir, their focus south of Pir Panjal in the Jammu region is to trigger communal riots.

Two hardcore terrorists were arrested in separate operations in Jammu and Samba districts over the last one week, while a major tragedy was averted with the timely recovery of a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) in Jammu's general bus stand area on Sunday.

''It goes to the credit of the police for the timely arrest of a few hardcore terrorists belonging to Kashmir and operating in the Jammu region to disturb the prevailing peace in the winter capital,'' Gupta said in a statement here.

He said it was quite evident from the arrests made in the last couple of months in different districts of the Jammu region that the entire area is on the radar of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror groups based in the neighbouring country.

Gupta warned that a network of sleeper cells already exists in the region, as was disclosed earlier also, when a few persons from the Dudu-Basantgarh area were arrested by the police after an unattended bag containing explosives was found in a Jammu-bound bus last year.

''Efforts are now being made to strengthen the network with a greater emphasis on certain localities and areas close to the winter capital. The sleeper cells are based on students, teachers and professionals and include members from both sexes,'' he said.

The BJP leader said due to its heterogeneous population, Jammu is the ideal breeding ground for such sleeper cells.

''Many analysts in the past have also warned that Jammu is sitting on a tinderbox and is a ticking time bomb,'' he cautioned, and said, ''In the prevailing environment, while the police and security forces have undoubtedly to remain alert, it is the responsibility of every citizen to act as a frontline warrior against terror by acting as the eyes and ears of the security forces.'' Gupta said the terrorists of late are preferring the International Border sector.

He advised the police to take cognisance of the mushrooming settlements along the banks of various rivers and streams right from the border to the national highway.

''These are likely conduits of arms supply from across the border, including those dropped from drones. There are also reports of illegal night stays in certain localities of the city, where individual beds are being rented on a per night basis by house owners, without maintaining a proper record of the one-night guests,'' he said.

The BJP leader also advised the police to avoid predictability as regards the raids they conduct at various hotels or lodges periodically.

''Such raids should be carried out randomly, thus creating a fear of uncertainty among the unauthorised occupants.

''Cooperation by the citizens will go a long way in combating the menace jointly, 'respect all, suspect all' should be the mantra followed by the common man,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)