Win over people, defeat terror: Union Home Secretary to security top brass

Srinagar, Dec 30: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan Monday urged the security top brass to be friendly with the people by maintaining extraordinary rapport with them while acting tough on terror.

Chairing a high-level security review meeting in Srinagar, the Home Secretary called the security top brass to maintain extraordinary rapport with the people and have a holistic approach to combat terrorism to ensure a terror-free Jammu and Kashmir.

He arrived at the Srinagar International Airport on his maiden visit to J&K where he was received by senior officers of the J&K government and drove to Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), on the banks of Dal Lake, where he chaired an over three-hour long meeting that started at 2:30 pm.

Top officials said that the Home Secretary directed the security agencies to intensify both kinetic and non-kinetic operations while further strengthening the existing security grid across J&K.

They said that in addition to action on the ground, he emphasised the importance of non-kinetic operations, which focus on dismantling support networks, countering propaganda, and addressing local grievances.

“Winning the trust and confidence of the local population is vital. We should enhance our outreach programmes to counter misinformation and address the alienation exploited by terror groups,” they quoted Mohan as saying.

They said that he called for intensified area domination efforts to ensure peace and curb terror activities in sensitive areas.

“Enhanced area domination, increased patrolling, the establishment of additional checkpoints, and regular cordon-and-search operations are key strategies to prevent any untoward incident and reassure the local population,” the Union Home Secretary was quoted as saying. “Our focus is on maintaining a secure environment, especially in areas prone to infiltration and terrorist movement.”

“The security grid needs to be robust, flexible, and adaptive to counter evolving threats. Proactive surveillance, coupled with actionable intelligence, will remain the cornerstone of our strategy,” he was quoted as saying.

They said that the Home Secretary also called for enhanced vigilance along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) to prevent infiltration attempts by terrorists, particularly in light of heightened activity in launching pads across the border.

They said that he directed the security agencies to adopt advanced technologies to counter these challenges effectively.He reiterated the government’s resolve about zero tolerance towards terrorism, the officials said.

They said that the Union Home Secretary appreciated the security agencies for working in close coordination with each other in the decisive action against the terrorism in J&K and emphasised implementation of “area domination plan” and “zero terror plan” in mission mode.

“The fight against terrorism requires precision and persistence. While kinetic operations have yielded results on the ground, equal focus must be given to non-kinetic measures that target the ecosystem of terrorism, including its financing and radicalization networks,” they quoted him as saying.Official sources said that the Home Secretary acknowledged the significant progress made in counter-terrorism operations but stressed the importance of a multi-pronged approach to eliminate residual threats.

They said that he urged the security forces to ensure the seamless integration of intelligence-sharing mechanisms and to strengthen the coordination between central agencies and J&K Police.

Sources said that other issues that came up for discussion during the meeting included anti-terror operations and infiltration threats along the LoC.

They said that top security officials briefed the Union Home Secretary about the counter-infiltration grid reinforcement and coordination between security agencies.

He was also briefed about the preparations being made to ensure that upcoming Republic Day passes peacefully, the officials said.  

They said that the meeting which continued till late in the evening discussed strategies to counter infiltration attempts and strengthen anti-terror operations in J&K.

The security review also covered emerging threats, including the use of drones for smuggling weapons and narcotics, cyberterrorism, and the radicalisation of youth through social media platforms, the officials said.

They said that senior officers from civil administration also gave a brief description of post snowfall scenario in Kashmir and assured Union Home Secretary that all efforts were being put in to mitigate the suffering of the people.

Those who attended the meeting included Chief Secretary Atal Dullo, Home Secretary Chandraker Bharti, Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Tapan Kumar Deka, Director NIA Sadanand Vasant Date, DG BSF Daljit Singh Chaudhary, Director General CRPF, Anish Dayal Singh, J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat, ADGP Law and Order Vijay Kumar, ADGP Jammu Anand Jain, IG NIA Amit Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, IGP Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi besides GOC 15 Corps Lieutenant Gen Prashant Srivastav and GOC 16 Corps Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva.

Some of the senior officers from civil administration, Army, paramilitary forces, and J&K Police gave detailed presentation about the overall J&K situation including post snowfall scenario. The senior officers from the Army briefed the chair about the proactive measures taken to foil infiltration attempts during winter when LoC and IB remain engulfed in heavy fog. Officials provided updates on recent successful encounters, which have significantly reduced the number of active terrorists in J&K.

The Union Home Secretary is scheduled to leave for New Delhi tomorrow after reviewing centrally sponsored flagship schemes.

According to sources, the meeting would also evaluate the progress of infrastructure and employment-driven projects, particularly those funded by the Centre.

Earlier this month Union Home Minister Amit Shah had chaired a high-level security meet on J&K in New Delhi.

The Union Home Minister had reiterated that in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, the goal of ‘terror-free J&K’ would be achieved at the earliest and all resources would be made available for this.

He had said that the PM Modi-led government, with the joint efforts of all security forces, was committed to establishing complete dominance over terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.The Union Home Minister appreciated the efforts of the security agencies for a significant decline in terrorist incidents, infiltration and recruitment of youth in terrorist organisations.

He had said that due to the sustained and coordinated efforts of the PM Modi-led government, the ecosystem of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir has almost ended.