UT status temporary, will restore J&K’s Statehood as situation improves: Shah

HM, NSA to review security with DGPs, CAPF chiefs

‘Indian Constitution protects Kashmiri culture, identity’

JAMMU: Asserting that the Kashmiri culture and identity is inherently protected by the Indian constitution, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a Union Territory (UT) forever and the statehood to it would be restored once the security situation is improved here.

Shah also said that neither a "single bullet" was fired nor a "single person died" after abrogation of the special status to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, and stressed that the restrictions are now limited to areas only under 10 of the 196 police stations in Kashmir Valley.

“Misuse of the Article 370 is the root cause of cross-border terrorism,” he said.

“Jammu and Kashmir would not remain a UT forever. I assure. And the statehood would be returned once situation is normalised,” Shah said while interacting with the probationers of the 2018 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS) in New Delhi.

The Centre on August 5 revoked J&K’s special status and bifurcated it into two UTs. While UT of Ladakh will have no legislature, the UT of J&K will have a legislative assembly, even as the Centre has promised to restore its Statehood in the past.

The home minister said the notion that only the Article 370 protected the Kashmiri culture and identity was a wrong one, saying all regional identities are inherently protected by the Indian constitution.

Shah also said "not a single bullet has been fired or not a single person has died" after the abrogation of the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, according to an official release.

Shah said only 10 police stations areas in Kashmir, out of 196, have Section 144 of the CrPC in force.

Shah urged the probationers to make tough yet correct decisions and said that some bold measures are necessary for people's benefit without getting bogged down by the fear of a backlash and referred to the decision taken on Article 370 by the Narendra Modi government.

Referring to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is being updated in Assam, the home minister said the NRC was essential not just for the national security but for good governance as well.

He said the NRC must not be seen as a political exercise, as it is very important to have a national register of citizens in order to ensure that benefits of development reach all citizens.

Meanwhile, Shah has called a high-level meeting of the police chiefs of all the states and central armed forces to review the security situation as well as examine the progress of concerned states on crucial suggestions made by Prime Minister Modi in December last year.

The meeting in the back drop of prevailing situation in Kashmir valley as well as talks of conducting NRC in several states to identify illegal immigrants makes it more relevant since the government is pushing to recalibrate the national security strategy.

The meeting is organised by Intelligence Bureau on October 14 and October 15 which will be chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

The meeting will also be attended by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

Respective Director Generals of Police, besides discussing vital security elements like radicalization, cyber security, naxalism and others, will also be presenting action taken report of their states.

"Cyber crime and ISIS influence in Indian sub continent will be the major issue apart from police moderation and judicial reformation," said a senior IPS officer, who will also be participating in the meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Home Minister Rajnath Singh, now the Defence Minister, had been pushing police chiefs to work in seamless co-ordination to thwart looming threats.

Modi had suggested the police forces to be vigilant in countering the dark forces of radicalization, and to engender trust among all communities across the nation. He had stressed on the importance of Inter-State coordination, in tackling crime and emphasized on the need for capacity building in the police forces, on the subject of cyber security.

He had also suggested that all the states should learn best practices from the Jammu and Kashmir police force for their role in countering terrorists, and successfully engaging them.

Shah has sought the details of works done as suggested by Modi this year by forces across the country. He will personally review each Director Generals of Police's work.

Sources further said that Shah's focus wil be on the progress made in respect to intelligence gathering and real coordination with the states. The anti-terror units of the states would also be part of the meet.

In the last Conference of Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police at Kevadiya in Gujarat held between December 20 to December 22, Modi had suggested various key issues that need to be addressed in a time bound manner and had sought a compliance report from Home Ministry.