The UPA in its report card, released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday, listed a ten-fold decline in militancy incidents in Jammu & Kashmir during its tenure as one of its achievements. But what it did not reveal was that there has been an over three-fold increase in the number of security personnel killed in 2013 as compared to 2012 and militants were also more successful in their infiltration attempts from across the border. The increase in casualties of security personnel is attributed to a new pattern — militants undertaking more audacious attacks now than ever before.
Claiming that the situation in the State was “rapidly improving,” the report card said Jammu & Kashmir witnessed a ten-fold decrease in militancy-related incidents in the nine years of the two tenures of the UPA. The number of incidents in 2004 was 2,565 which resulted in 1,964 deaths while in 2012 there were 220 incidents that led to 102 deaths, it said.
However, as things stand, the security establishment is now besieged with a serious problem on two fronts — both along the line of Control (loC) as well as within the State. Not only are the militants attacking security personnel in the State with greater audacity but are also increasingly being successful in their infiltration attempts.
As many as 53 security men died in 2013 compared to 15 personnel in 2012 while battling militants. The operational commanders are also worried that this trend will gather tempo in the coming months after the US starts withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan and the battle-hardened militants turn their attention towards Kashmir with the connivance of Pakistan.
Moreover, the Assembly elections in J&K and the lok Sabha polls this year are likely to see terrorists stepping up levels of violence in an effort to cause as many casualties as possible, both of innocent civilians and security men, officials said. They said, of the 53 security men, 31 belonged to the Army with the rest being from the CRPF and J&K Police. The comparative figure for the last year was 15. In 2011, the casualty figures of the security personnel stood at 33.
Officials admitted that the militants were now better trained and motivated thereby enabling them to carry out “bolder acts” as compared to the last few years. They said unlike in the past, the terrorists were now taking on security men and inflicting casualties. The audacious attack on a heavily-armed Army convoy travelling from Srinagar airport to its camp outside the city in July last year in which six soldiers were killed and a suicide attack on a CRPF camp in the city earlier in 2012 claiming seven lives are some of the examples of level of training and motivation of the militants, sources said.
Similarly, the twin attack on a police station and an Army camp in Jammu region two months ago was an indication that the Pakistan-backed militants were out to shatter peace in the State. In so far as infiltration bids from across the loC are concerned, about 270 militants tried to get in and more than 90 terrorists managed to sneak in till November last year as compared to 121 in 2012 and just 50 in 2011. More than 265 militants had made an infiltration bid in 2012 and 250 in 2011.
The Army managed to neutralise 38 militants while they were trying to cross the loC in 2013. This figure stood at 13 in 2012 and 35 in 2011. However, sources said the terrorists who managed to get in this year were hardcore lashkar-e-Tayyaba fighters and the security forces were now trying to find and neutralise them before they could engineer terrorist incidents.
The standard of engagement with security men by terrorists indicated that they had received good training in infantry tactics in indoctrination camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). Highlighting the fact that “quality of attacks” by terrorists on security forces had also improved this year, officials said this came about as the militants are now armed with better weapons, night vision devices and communication systems.
Faced with this challenge, the security forces are now changing their tactics and a combination of training and technology is helping the soldiers deployed along the loC and International Border with Pakistan to minimize the successful infiltration bids ahead of the beginning of hectic poll season in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014.
Some of the measures to further plug the vulnerable routes and mountain passes by the Army include induction of high-resolution thermal imagers (HHTI) to keep an eye on the suspected movement of infiltrators close to the barbed wire fence. To monitor the exclusive pictures provided by the thermal imagers the Army has also set up command level control rooms close to the loC to reduce reaction time and pin down the infiltrators before they sneak inside the Indian territory taking advantage of the undulating terrain and hostile weather conditions.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has also introduced an indigenous communication and surveillance system to plug the riverine areas and vulnerable infiltration routes along the 190 km long International Border. Besides enhancing foot patrolling and installing sophisticated surveillance equipment, the BSF has also instructed its men deployed there to be extra vigilant during the ongoing winter season due to the foggy conditions.
After the twin terror strikes in Hrianagar Police Station and Samba-based Army cavalry unit on September 26, the BSF has designed an integrated surveillance system with a bullet proof mobile bunker and high-resolution infrared cameras to monitor sensitive patches along riverine areas and preferred infiltration routes of militant groups.