J&K Police suffer 'worst ever loss' in SI's death
○ Close shave for SHO Bandipore, Dy SP Operations
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, Oct 7: Lashkar-e-Tayyiba's Kashmir operations chief Abu Qasim on Wednesday struck the deadliest blow to the counterinsurgency grid of the Jammu and Kashmir Police by eliminating a Sub Inspector responsible for arrest and killing of over a hundred top notch militants in the last 10 years. SI Altaf Ahmad of Zanglipora Kulgam, who acted as head of a crack counter-insurgent unit of the J&K Police since 2006, was shot dead in a dramatic encounter near Gund-e-Dachhin village of Bandipore when he was tracking the LeT chief alongwith a group of eight militants in north-east of the Valley.
According to the well placed officers in J&K Police, SI Altaf left on a high profile operation with seven of his SIT South men in civvies in two civil light motor vehicle after receiving tip off about Qasim’s passage through Bandipore alongwith his six to nine militants. SSPs of Srinagar and Bandipore coordinated the operation of tracking down Qasim and his group.
At Gund-e-Dachhin, a village between Garoora and Nadihal, on Srinagar-Bandipore Road, SHO Bandipore Gazanfar Hussain came out of his civil vehicle and commanded the driver of a Tata-207 pick-up van to halt. SI Altaf and Dy SP Operations Bandipore also came out. As the driver slowed down but refused to stop, Gazanfer took out his pistol and warned him that he would open fire if he didn’t take the command.
Suddenly, unknown number of militants from the back jumped out with their AK-47 rifles in their hands. SHO and Dy SP had a narrow escape as they escaped but Altaf, who was fully exposed, became an easy target of the militants. He was critically injured. After the militants escaped, a reinforcement rushed to the spot and evacuated Altaf to a local hospital. He was later airlifted to Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar where he succumbed to injuries.
Officers who had groomed Altaf into Special Operations Group of J&K Police from 2006 told STATE TIMES that Altaf's death was equal to killing of 200 SPs. "We are all shaken and shattered. He was a Policeman of amazing operational and intelligence generating capabilities, unmatched in entire Police force", a senior Police officer said. He added that Altaf's death had caused "unimaginable, irreparable loss" to Police's counter-insurgency grid in entire Kashmir valley, particularly in Central Kashmir.
"Without fear of contradiction, I can say more than 50% of our counter-insurgency operations had been planned, executed and led from the front by Altaf in the last 10 years. From Muzafar Dar to Nisar Wani alias Gazi Misbahuddin and upto last month's operation in Ladoora Sopore, he was responsible for arrest and killing of over 200 militants including more than 100 top notch militants. He was the man who arrested once the most wanted militant Rayees Kachroo---the killer of nine Army soldiers in an IED blast. When Rayees managed to escape from custody, Altaf killed him within a few months in a fierce encounter. We can say he had almost completely wiped out Hizbul Mujahideen", another senior officer of high profile operational background said.
Yet another officer of SOG background claimed that Altaf's death was an unprecedented loss to J&K Police in the last 15 years. "Arrest and killing of almost all the high profile militants after 2006 were exclusively to his credit", he asserted. One more senior officer revealed that another equally----or a little lesser important-----asset of J&K Police was eliminated by militants in Srinagar district earlier this year.
Director General of Police K. Rajendra Kumar told STATE TIMES that Altaf's performance and contribution to peace could not be quantified. "He was a Policeman of outstanding qualities, capabilities and courage. He was the master of our most important operations. It's a great setback to Police but we will come out of it and fight terrorism with our unflinching commitment to restoration and maintenance of peace", DGP said.
In a special message to J&K Police, DGP later said: Today we lost one of our most outstanding and expert officers in Counter Insurgency , SI Mohammad Altaf, in an encounter. The intelligence was generated by him and was personally leading the Operation in which he attained martyrdom. An exemplary brave police officer with the heart of a lion and intelligence of exceptional nature who had a passion for hard work and launched relentless ops against terrorists in which a number of top terrorists were neutralised during the last decade or so. My salute to the Martyr. His martyrdom should further strengthen our resolve to wage relentless battle against terrorism and uproot this scourge from our State to bring total peace in the state".
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former CM and National Conference acting President Omar Abdullah, DGP Rajendra Kumar and other senior officers of J&K Police paid floral tributes to Altaf at a special wreath-laying function at PCR Srinagar.
Sources said that after completing graduation, Altaf had joined J&K as a Constable in 1998. In 2006, he was inducted into SIT---- SOG's parallel counterterrorist unit headquartered at Police Station Rajbagh. Then SP South Swayam Prakash Pani, currently on deputation with NIA, played key role under Rajendra, Shiv Sahai and other senior officers in establishing the SIT. Altaf headed it for 9 years. For his outstanding performance, he was granted four out of turn promotions to the rank of SI. However, sometime back, State Home Department had turned down the recommendation of Altaf's elevation to the rank of Inspector.
Sources said that the Police top brass were probing if there were any SOP violations in Wednesday’s operation. "There may an inquiry why only four of the12-member SIT team were carrying weapons and there were few BP vests", an officer said. "If it was an undercover operation, we don't know why the SHO, who is otherwise a very intelligent and competent officer, did expose himself and the Police party in civvies".
END
[Published in today's STATE TIMES]
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