19-09-2023 : The Jammu Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has expressed deep concern over the escalating militancy, recent infiltrations, and the presence of terrorists in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. In response to these challenges, the JKPCC is urging the administration under the Lieutenant Governor (LG) to enhance the vigilance of security forces and reinforce the village defense mechanisms in vulnerable areas.
Raman Bhalla, the Working President of JKPCC, emphasized the critical need to strengthen the village defense mechanisms across remote and vulnerable regions, particularly highlighting the Narla-Sajali area of Kalakote. This area recently witnessed a fierce encounter resulting in the demise of two terrorists and an Army jawan. The aftermath of this encounter has left the local villagers apprehensive about potential retaliation.
During a press conference held at the party headquarters, JKPCC Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, along with former Minister and District President of Rajouri, Shabir Ahmed Khan, and PCC Spokesperson Kapil Singh, joined Raman Bhalla in voicing these concerns.
They highlighted the pressing need for the presence of an Army post and well-equipped Village Defense Committees (VDCs) with modern weaponry in the area, as the absence of these security measures is causing fear among the villagers.
Raman Bhalla underscored that recent media reports have indicated an increased terrorist presence in the twin border districts, intensifying the sense of insecurity among the inhabitants of remote areas. Ravinder Sharma himself visited the region a few days ago and witnessed the prevailing anxiety among the locals, especially in the areas where recent encounters had taken place, such as Narla, Sajali Gala, and other remote regions of Kalakote.
Bhalla further revealed that the Congress party has written to the LG, urging him to enhance the village defense mechanisms in vulnerable areas of Kalakote, as well as in other remote and far-flung regions within the twin border districts.
Ravinder Sharma expressed his disappointment in the lack of visible security presence in the area just two days after the encounter, despite government claims of deploying forces and strengthening the Village Defense Committees with advanced weaponry.
Prem Lal Sharma, a shepherd from Sajali Gala in Narla area who had provided crucial information to the Army, preventing a potential incident in the area, was also present at the press conference, along with Naseer Ahmed Panch, Madan Lal, Krishan Lal, Kuldeep Kumar, Gulshan Kumar, and others from Poonch-Rajouri.
Former Minister Shabir Ahmed Khan, who also serves as the Vice Chairman of DDC Rajouri, stressed the immediate necessity to reinforce the administrative and security apparatus in the border region to address these security concerns effectively.