The government has hailed the deaths of 13 militants in three separate encounters in Kashmir, calling it the “biggest strike of the decade”. And the security forces responsible may have hit an even bigger jackpot, as they will share in a record pool of reward money.
Jammu and Kashmir Police killed 12 militants in two separate clashes in the apple town of Shopian on April 1 in a joint operation with the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Another was killed and his fellow militant nabbed in the adjoining district of Anantnag in south Kashmir.
Four civilians were also killed and more than 200 injured, allegedly while government forces were firing, and three Army jawans (junior soldiers) lost their lives in the incidents.
The security forces who executed the operations and possibly their informers will share reward money expected to total around Rs20 million (US$307,577). Official sources told Asia Times that it is the “highest-ever” reward for a single day since the three-decade-old armed insurgency began in the region.
They said that informers now play a critical role in shutting down militants: getting a clue from a source about mobile phone used by operatives is often enough to entrap them.
The sources said the state police had kept a bounty of around Rs500,000 on each of the militants, who were all were locals. Under the counter-insurgency protocol a “similar bounty” is kept by the army and paramilitary forces, and this triples the total reward money.
The government has categorized cash-for-kill incentives. The then Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had the rewards increased after taking office in 2015.
The reward for killing A++ militants was raised from Rs1 million to Rs1.25 million and the amount for the A+ category militant was increased to Rs750,000 Rs500,00. For A-category militants the amount was increased to Rs500,00 from Rs300,000 and for B-category militants it went up to Rs300,00 from Rs200,00. The cash-for-kill incentive for C-category militants was doubled to Rs200,000.
A police officer said most of those killed on Sunday belonged to category A, while one was an A+ militant. Officers say the slain man belonged to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“Today is a very special day. This is probably the biggest strike on the militants in a decade.”
There are protocols on the distribution of bounty money. “While a portion of the reward money goes to informers, if any, the other share is distributed respectively among the personnel of the executing party. However, no gazetted officer is entitled to the reward money,” said a senior police official.
Informers get rewards only from one agency; other forces distribute the lot among their team members.
Police sources said security forces were tipped off about militant movements in the Pir Panjal region, but initially no action was taken. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s government had asked the security forces to temporarily suspend anti-militancy operations until the 64th annual convention of the Travel Agents Association of India had been completed in the summer capital of Srinagar.
The three-day convention, which started on March 27, was aimed at reviving tourism in Kashmir. It concluded with 2018 being declared “Visit Kashmir Year”. Hours later, the counterinsurgency resumed.
Hizbul and Lashkar groups were about to hold a joint meeting in Shopian to decide on future strategies when the security strike took place.
“These groups were under constant surveillance through the mobile phone tracking system that had been updating us about their latest geographical coordinates with a hi-tech precision system. All we had been waiting for was a nod to resume strikes,” said a police official.
Businesses were not happy at the timing of the attacks. “Killings, business and education cannot go hand-in-hand. At the onset of spring, the government has doomed prospects of business in summer. These killings must stop,” said Kashmir Economic Alliance chairman Muhammad Yasin Khan.
But while the situation remains uneasy in Kashmir, government forces are satisfied with the outcome of the clashes. The army’s General Officer Commanding 15 Corps, Lt General A K Bhatt, Director General of Police SP Vaid and Inspector General CRPF Zulfiqar Hassan called the killings a “major victory” at a press conference.
“Today is a very special day. We are all glad that our forces have successfully managed to kill a large group of militants in three separate gunfights in southern Kashmir. This is probably the biggest strike on the militants in a decade,” they said.
Where in the world these militants get their arms and trading from, I wonder!
Pakistan
Good job by the army…..
How much they get while killing innocent lives?
They have to face inquiry and action for killing innocent lives. But, if terrorists are killed as in this case, there are rewards as mentioned in the news article.
Shameful thinking f urs dey r not millitants dey r freedom fighters nd 2 tel u dt kashmir is forcefully occupied by india better 2 study history once.
From who else but the US and other Western countries whose economy survives on wars and arms supplies!
They are not militants, they are TERRORISTS supported by religious fanatics. The security force are dealing properly with them.
I think this kind of info shud not b publicised .. rather it should be handled quietly by the concerned management. Spare a thought for the men who lost their lives in the operation. I hope sufficient compensation is being given to their families
How much you people give your innocent & peace loving cummunty people who kills other cummunty people?
The target is to kill 50,000 jihadis in valley and repopulate the valley with its rightful owners namely the Pundits. These killings are like ground levelling work before construction of a building.
Shaie Beigh .. you are a lrofeespr and you talk abt freedom, what kind of teaching you teach. I am not a bit surprised you are supporting this freedom movement.
That’s not a difficult question. I wonder why you asked it. Or were you asleep for the last 30 years?
Sidharth Shankar U r living in fools paradise,It also shows that u r psychologically unsound
Syed Razia Only time will tell who is living in fool’s paradise. Kashmir has always been an integral part of India and will continue to be so, with or without the valley jihadists. This choice has to be made by ‘so called azafipasand afrat’ kashmiris too. If at all it belongs to anyone, it belongs to the Kashmiri pundits and the Doors. Jihadi Islam in Kashmir is an infiltrator and it’s mental as well as physical presence would be mercilessly stubbed out. Do what you want.
Now, coming to the military aspect of it. How much is the population of the valley? Not more than 50-60 lacs. Out of those 50 percent would be men. Out of them, only a certain percent, say 50 percent (although it is a very high number which is highly unlikely) would be between the age of 15-55 years, capable of militant duties. This means the focus comes to around 10 lacs people, or 2 lac households. We will place all 4th one 2 lac households under such massive surveillance that they would have to seek permission of the Indian state even to piss inside their own homes, forget about waging jihad. We will swamp the valley with 50 lac additional troops. What will you do? If needed, we would eliminate all those millions of that is what it takes to quell the Jihadi rebellion. In the past such mass extermination of people was done by the followers of the ‘peaceful path’, this time it would be done unto them. No big deal you see, what goes around, comes around, karmic theory in action.
Sidharth Shankar u should put ur resources in bulding #toilets rather lol
Sidharth Shankar you moron come on raise your tri colour(toilet paper) in kashmir,your pent gets wet in delhi……tum loog too pehle se hi najayaz ho tum ko kya boley gy…..sita ko rawan ne chood kr tum loogu ko paida kiya hai…..tuuh tuuh tumharey chahrey par!!
Masroor Mohd Yaseen The mouths of Jihadis like you are there to be used like toilets. So, no worries. And, since you breed like pigs, world is not going to run out of mouths to be used as toilets.
Reshi Siftain Abhee to BSF teri naa, behenon Ki fuddiyon ko garam kar hin rahi hae. For mere jaison ko kya jaroorat aan padi ha BSF sirf 5 lac hae tab to teri maa bahnon Ki fuddiyon se chingariyaan nikal rahi hain. Agar mere jaise 100 crore aa gae to fir kya hoga? Utni saari fuddiyaan laaegaa kahaan se?
Blood Sheeding in Kashmir….
Syed Razia people like you enjoy the comfort provided by India. Kashmir is not your father’s properly and it is not for Muslims only kashmiri pandits we’re driven out of their homes. Reality of Muslims that no body talks about. Your entire religion talk too much but is responsible for all the terriost activities in the world.
Sidharth Shankar and you belong to Times of India nothing wrong in your sense you are trained to devide people for money and yes killing the terrorists is never wrong and if you have any doubt you are free to visit us anytime in j&k
ur safe in india c how pakistan is treating balochistan
This is how human rights abuses happen, troops are paid for every kill. In order to collect money, shoot someone and brand him as a militant or terrorist. Who would question the authorities? Piece a cake.