ADGP clarifies J&K police's apolitical stance, DGP's remark personal

Sri Nagar: A day after Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) R R Swain made a controversial statement blaming mainstream and regional parties for facilitating Pakistan's infiltration into civil society, sparking a row in the Valley, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order, Vijay Kumar, stated that the DGP's remarks were his “personal opinion” and that the J&K police remain apolitical.

ADGP Kumar responded to the controversy while overseeing arrangements for a Muharram procession. “See, J-K Police is an apolitical police force, we work professionally,” ADGP Kumar told reporters when asked about DGP Swain’s statement and its political reaction. “This could be the DG sahib’s personal opinion. We are a professional police force, apolitical and impartial.”

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Addressing an event at the Indian Institute of Management (Jammu) on Monday, DGP Swain criticized political parties in the UT, stating, “Pakistan successfully infiltrated all important aspects of civil society, thanks to so-called mainstream and regional politics in the valley. There is ample evidence to show that many had mastered the art of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds, which left both the common man and the security bewildered, frightened, and confused.” He further added, “Visiting the homes of killed terrorists and expressing sympathy in public was normal.”

Swain also accused parties of using militants to strengthen their electoral prospects. “While the elimination of new recruits in terrorism was allowed and tacitly encouraged, those who facilitated recruitment and arranged finances were never investigated,” he said. “Things had come to such a pass that so-called mainstream political parties had started cultivating leaders of terror networks and sometimes directly to further their electoral prospects.”

The statement faced criticism, with some mainstream political parties in the Valley blaming the DGP for the revival of militancy and the killing of soldiers in Jammu. Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti called Swain a “communal fixer” who “waged war against the majority community” and accused him of orchestrating political splits while neglecting his professional duties.