Major Overhaul in Jammu and Kashmir Police Ahead of Assembly Elections
Srinagar, 16th August 2024: A significant overhaul is underway within the Jammu and Kashmir Police, with new chiefs appointed for several districts and senior officers transferred ahead of the anticipated Assembly elections next month. Additionally, a new head will lead the J&K Police’s Intelligence Wing.
The districts of Jammu, Ramban, Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, Poonch, and the Kashmir Valley areas of Shopian and Ganderbal will see new police leadership. This move comes in response to a recent surge in terrorist activities in these regions.
On Wednesday, an Army captain and a civilian were killed, and an American-made assault rifle was recovered after forces engaged with four terrorists in a forested area of Doda.
The reshuffle follows the appointment of senior IPS officer Nalin Prabhat as Special Director-General of the police force, set to take over from RR Swain, who will retire on September 30.
This reshuffle, which also affects governance positions, coincides with the expected announcement of dates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The Election Commission had been directed by the Supreme Court to complete the electoral process by September 30 last year, in response to petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, which had delayed the state elections.
The Supreme Court had dismissed these challenges but mandated that an election be held and that Jammu and Kashmir be re-recognized as a state. After the abrogation of Article 370, J&K was divided into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Last week, the Election Commission visited J&K to review election preparations. EC chief Rajiv Kumar stated that no internal or external forces could disrupt the election process.
The last J&K Assembly election occurred in 2014, with the PDP and BJP emerging as major winners. The PDP, led by the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, won 28 seats, while the BJP secured 25. The National Conference, led by Farooq and Omar Abdullah, won 15 seats, and Congress secured 12, with other seats going to local parties and independents. The PDP and BJP formed a coalition government for the first time, but the alliance collapsed four years later, leading to Governor’s Rule, which has continued since then.
The Election Commission is also expected to announce poll dates for Haryana, where the BJP is in power. The BJP, which gained control in 2019 with support from Dushyant Chautala’s JJP, faces a tighter race this time after their alliance dissolved.
