J&K: Why are terror attacks on policemen increasing

There is a deliberate attempt to scare and demoralise the police force in Kashmir as they help the Indian Army flush out militants.

Burhan Wani, the slain commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen had warned two months prior to his death in July 2016 that the fight was now against the local policemen in Jammu and Kashmir. It appears as though his orders are being followed very religiously in the Valley.

In the month of March, five incidents of terrorists barging into the houses of police personnel and threatening their family members have been reported. In some of the cases, they have snatched the rifles from the policemen and escaped.

Intelligence Bureau officials studying the pattern say that these attacks have a two-pronged strategy. In most of the cases, the militants end up threatening the family members. This is to send out a strong message that the policemen should stop supporting the Indian Army. In several operations, policemen have backed the Indian Army to nab or kill militants.

The other strategy is to snatch weapons and demoralise the force. When a weapon is snatched away from a policeman, he is normally demoralised. Terrorists get an upper hand psychologically in such cases. The other intent is to snatch away the rifle as terrorists have joined terror groups in large numbers but are falling short of weapons.

Zakir Rashid Bhat, the new commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen had said in a December video that the attacks should focus on the local policemen of Jammu and Kashmir. He had said that the police had blundered. You touch our families, we will attack yours. If you think your families are unsafe in Kashmir, try moving them to Kanyakumari. We will find and target them there as well, he had said in the video.

OneIndia News