SRINAGAR: Stating that those being detained had been properly listed by police for their past records, the Director General of Police Ashok Prasad Tuesday said that militants and trouble mongers may disrupt peace on polling day in three segments of Central Kashmir. They may try to target unarmed political workers ahead of polls but police have already chalked out a strategy to foil any kind of untoward incident ahead of polls, Prasad said adding that there is substantial deployment to ensure peaceful polling in Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts.
Ashok Prasad said that police has already picked up known stone-pelters and trouble mongers including the activists of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. Police have been dealing with the three categories of people in Kashmir Valley. One is militant, the second one is stone-thrower and the last category is one who instigate a youth to resort to stone-pelting. The category which acts as instigator and foment trouble is much more dangerous and the activists of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat belong to this category. We have already launched a crackdown on the activists of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (the) and with deal with iron-hand whosoever would disrupt peace and order, he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief Ashok Prasad tsaid that stone-throwers are misguided youth while the real culprits are those who stimulate them. He however said that everyone responsible for the disruption of peace is subject to legal action and one has to face the music in case he takes law in his own hands. Different separatist groups are instigating youth for stone-pelting and these groups provide directions and instructions to youth where to strike and where to fuel trouble, he said.
Ruling out possibility of mobile voting in any part of the Central Kashmir, Prasad said that government forces are vigilant and would act tough against those, who violate the norms of Election Commission. He further said that the main concern of police is to avoid causalities and provide no room to militants to strike any part of the Valley.
He said that it would be premature to say how seriously people would take the boycott call of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani on April 30. In order to instill confidence among people and foil the boycott and shutdown call, we have deployed security personnel in every area. Police is hopeful that the day would pass peacefully as we have already detained known stone-pelters and separatist leaders, Prasad said.
Responding to a query, DGP said that on the polling day in South Kashmir different political parties failed to reach out to the voters and they failed to mobilize them. He said that lot of people dont come to vote because of fear. We will ensure peace and security everywhere so that people could come out to vote this time in Central Kashmir, he said adding that polling day would really be crucial for security agencies.
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