Amid a spurt in terrorist violence in Srinagar in quick succession earlier this year, the Jammu and Kashmir police chief has raised security concerns on the efficacy of the existing security grid with regard to the non-locals, security forces and politicians.

The top police official has also sought to revisit the counter-terrorist security grid in the Valley and got an approval from the Centre for deployment of 5,000 additional troops of the Central paramilitary forces.

Following the request for additional deployment on the ground, the Union Home Ministry has approved the proposal and 50 companies of Central paramilitary forces have joined duty last week, sources said.

In the backdrop of a number of incidents of terrorist violence happening in Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar in quick succession in the first quarter of the ongoing year, the Union Territory police chief has raised security concerns on the efficacy of the existing security grid with regard to the non-locals, security forces and politicians.

In a recent letter, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh directed the Inspectors General of police and CRPF to review the city deployment and security grid with their Deputy Inspectors General and Superintendents of police in order to have a well-designed deployment plan of a large number of Central paramilitary forces’ battalions with a grid comprising Nakas, mobile vehicle check posts (MVCPs), city patrolling and manning of major entry and escape routes.

“While unprecedented work has taken place in terms of a large number of Counter-Terrorist operations in Srinagar, eliminating terrorists and their OGW (Over Ground Workers) network operating in the city during 2020, such acts, however, didn’t go well with the public perception on improving security environment for the last over two years,” reads the letter sent to Special DG CRPF, ADGP (now DGP) CID, J&K Jammu, Joint Director of Intelligence Bureau, Kashmir and IG (Operations), CRPF, Srinagar.

Insiders in the CRPF said despite the deployment of a large number of the paramilitary personnel in the Valley, it has not taken the lead role in counter-terrorism operations as was the case when the BSF was the designated agency for securing Srinagar and conducting anti-terrorist actions in the Valley. This has led to resurfacing of the terror groups in the city leading to casualties of the security forces personnel, SPOs and political leaders.

“Though, in some cases, Police/SFs response to a terror incident has been appreciable, the terrorists have generally taken advantage of floating movement of the people and vehicles in the city and escaped after an act without getting intercepted in the security grid,” it said, adding deployments for more vulnerable areas/persons have to be designed accordingly so as to minimize the threat and maximize the chances of interception of the anti-national elements.