Srinagar, July 14 (Inditop.com) Amid the growing unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, the state government Tuesday ordered a major shake-up in the police department transferring many senior officers.
The reshuffle in the state police was ordered in the cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The shake-up comes as protests have been raging this summer in the Kashmir Valley over alleged rights abuses and killings by security forces.
Ashok Bhan, who was the director general Criminal Investigation Department (CID), has been posted as director general prisons.
K. Rajendra, inspector general of police (Jammu zone), has been promoted as additional director general and posted as the new CID chief of the state. Ashok Gupta would be the new inspector general of police Jammu.
P.L. Gupta, inspector general of police (headquarters), will be now additional director general of the vigilance commission.
Farooq Ahmad, inspector general of police (CID), has been transferred and posted as inspector general of police (Kashmir zone) replacing B. Srinivas who goes as inspector general of police (security).
The government has also changed deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag and Kathua ranges replacing them with new faces.
Transfers have also been made at the levels of the senior superintendents of police (SSPs) at the district levels including SSP (Srinagar) Afadul Mujtaba who has been replaced by Riyaz Ahmad Bedar.
This is the first major shake-up in the state police administration after Omar Abdullah took office as the chief minister of the state earlier this year.
Though terrorist violence in Kashmir has drastically come down the valley has been rocked by protests since May over alleged human rights violations by security forces.
First it was in south Kashmir’s Shopian where two women, aged 17 and 22, were found dead May 30. Locals allege they were abducted, raped and killed by security forces. A government appointed probe commission has indicted some police officers for the crime.
After the Shopian incident that sparked valley-wide protests came the violence in north Kashmir Baramulla where a woman last month alleged she was abused by cops in a police station. Police have, however, denied the allegations.
Four protesters were killed in firing allegedly by paramilitary men in Baramulla and neighbouring Sopore town. Police have registered murder cases against paramilitary troopers reportedly involved in the firing.
Then violent protests rocked this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital early this month after a missing youth was found murdered in an old city area triggering a fresh wave of violence in an already vitiated atmosphere. People blamed police and other security agencies for his “custodial death”.
