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SOG being disbanded?

By Shujaat Bukhari

JAMMU DEC. 29. After settling the issue of releasing prisoners with the Central Government by setting up a screening committee, the PDP-led coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir has started working on another controversial issue of "disbanding'' the Special Operations Group (SOG).

With a major reshuffle in the police department in which 47 officers were shifted on Saturday, it became clear that the State Government intended to strip the SOG of its separate identity. Three Superintendents of Police of SOG, Manohar Singh in Jammu, Sewa Singh Mankotia in Pulwama and Deepak Salathia in Baramulla were transferred but without any replacements.

This is for the first time that the SOG units had been left without a SP. Senior police officers, when contacted, refused to comment but confirmed that it was the outcome of a policy decision taken by the Government. Srinagar is the only district which is still being headed by an SP. Sources said that he was also on the list but there were differences among the Ministers as he had been proposed for the "lucrative'' posting of SP, National Highway. The SOG units will be headed by the officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendents of Police who will be directly under the District SPs. This will further lead to a complete merger of the force with the regular police. Disbanding of the SOG had become a controversial issue between the Centre and the State Government as it was perceived as softness towards militants. The SOG came into existence in 1994 and was carved out of the J&K Police to neutralise militancy.

A force of not more than 1000-odd personnel, it, however, earned notoriety for the involvement of its officials in custodial killings and extortion. But security experts still believe that the SOG played a significant role in eliminating most of the local militancy and also helped the other security agencies in conducting successful operations.

Resentment in police ranks

Resentment is brewing in the rank and file of the police department against what they call the "apathy" of the political leadership towards them.

They are particularly shocked over the killings of policemen during the last few weeks and the indifference of the political leaders. "No political leader has visited the hapless families of the victims," a senior police officer said.

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