Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police (DGP), R.R. Swain, emphasised on Saturday that due to the 30-year history of use of firearms in the region, it will require time to silence the last gun.
“Firearms have had a 30-year history in J&K, and it will take time to silence the last gun…,” he said on the sidelines of a public darbar at the police headquarters in Srinagar.
The DGP underscored that effective policing hinges on robust public support. "Ensuring justice for the rightful party is our priority. For this, we must meticulously listen to all involved parties during investigations," he said, adding, "we cannot simply let a thief walk free after proving a theft case."
Acknowledging inevitable human errors, Swain highlighted the continuous efforts of the police force to rectify these errors in their journey towards professional policing in J&K.
Relating to the stone pelting issues in Kashmir, he mentioned a notable reduction, now reaching zero incidents.
“The High Court has classified stone pelting as an act of terrorism. Stone pelting was never associated with fundamental necessities such as roads, water, or electricity; instead, it disrupted law and order on the streets,” DGP clarified.
"Presently, there have been no civilian injuries or deaths, and neither have any security forces personnel been injured or killed due to stone pelting in Kashmir."
He said with the cessation of stone pelting, tourism, trade, schools, and colleges are operating normally, leading to improved livelihoods for families in the region.
Responding to queries about individuals involved in past activities such as stone pelting but now leading peaceful lives, the DGP said, "The doors of the police are open for those who made mistakes in the past but are now leading normal lives.” These cases have come to light during the public darbar, including instances where people have secured government jobs but await security clearance. “We are also handling passport clearance cases,” he added.
The DGP further elaborated that the police have adopted a comprehensive approach for such cases—evaluating aggravating and mitigating factors.
He stressed that if a person committed a mistake once and then repeated it, the police have to take a stricter stance. Conversely, if someone made a mistake once but has since abandoned such actions, then a different approach has to be taken.
“Our primary goal is to find solutions to end violence. We have addressed the factors responsible for violence to prevent their recurrence,’’ he said.
Regarding Public Darbars, he mentioned that the police family consists of a force of 1.40 lakh members, leading to various cases of different natures coming forward.
"Darbars have evolved from internal grievance redressal systems due to the sheer number of family members (policemen). We also handle cases related to SROs and those involving common people connected to the police in one way or another," the DGP explained.
