After the brutal murder of lieutenant Ummer Fayaz on Wednesday, the Army on Thursday issued an advisory to all the serving personnel, including nearly 30 Commissioned Officers, hailing from Kashmir Valley to report to the nearest police or Army post while visiting their hometowns. The idea is to provide them speedy security in case of any emergency. Apart from these officers, nearly 3,000 soldiers come from the troubled South Kashmir region.
Newly commissioned into the Army, Fayaz was off duty while visiting his native place to attend the wedding ceremony of his cousin when he was abducted and later killed by terrorists. The 22-year-old officer had not informed the nearby Army’s Company Operating Base (COB) or post while on leave, officials said here on Thursday, adding the post was located about a km away from the place of incident.
Concerned over officers and men not informing the nearest post about their presence, the Army issued the directive, officials said, adding nearly 30 officers serving in the Army, IAF and Navy hail from South Kashmir.
All serving personnel from these areas were directed to follow the standard operating procedure while on leave and visiting their native places in these districts. Whenever on leave, the soldiers are required to report to the nearest COB of the Army or Central Reserve Police Force or the local police. The visiting personnel share their mobile number with the post besides informing them about the length of their stay. In case of any trouble, they are advised to give a missed call and the post responds immediately to provide all help, they said.
The Army’s posts in South Kashmir cover an area of two to five kilometres each and are manned by at least 60 to 70 personnel. The CRPF and the local police also have a similar pattern of posts dotting the restive districts, they said.
However, the personnel many a times do not inform the post and prefer to remain lie low during the entire period of stay, officials said. Besides officers and men serving in the Services, many policemen and those serving in the central paramilitary forces also hail from this region, they added.
The State police had issued a similar advisory last year when South Kashmir saw mass scale protests for more than four months following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July. In the wake of lt Fayaz’s murder, the State administration is also likely to again issue the directive, sources said.
On the fallout of the killing, sources said there was an undercurrent of anger among the local populace. Fayaz, a local youth, was a role model for young men.