SOG man deserts camp, Police fear he joined LeT ranks

Srinagar: Police sources have disclosed that an irregular policeman (locally known as Special Police Officer, SPO) in Sopore deserted his camp along with his service weapon and joined the ranks of dreaded militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba. Police said the deserter had militant links in past and was now a ‘rehabilitated’ person.

The disclosure , sources say, is upsetting because getting recruits from within the Police force may give militants an intelligence edge.  

The state intelligence sources Thursday revealed that the irregular policeman Mohammad Shafi Dar son of Mohmmad Maqbool Dar, a resident of Nowpora Sopore, was performing his duty in Sopore till Wednesday evening but later in the night vanished from his position. 

Meanwhile, a senior police official wishing not to be named confirmed

the Dar had joined the militant ranks. He said a case has been

registered in police station Sopore in this regard.

Dar, who was posted in Special Operations Group at Seloo , Sopore, has taken four magazines

and one AK-47 rifle with him, the police sources say.

Dar, a 30-year-old school dropout, worked as a tailor 

before 2010. In November 2010, he had gone missing from his home and

joined militant ranks. He remained active between December 2010 to

2011, before he surrendered in front of Superintendent of Police, (SP)

Sopore, Altaf Ahmad Khan in 2011. Last year, he was promoted to the post of follower, a position little upward of an SPO..

Police sources said Dar after reaching his house along with the

service rifle informed his mother that he had again decided to join

the militant group.

“The initial investigation revealed that Dar was SPO and a special

inquiry team has also been constituted to trace his whereabouts of the

Dar,” sources said.

This is not the first time a person from state’s security grid has

joined militant groups.

Sources say around 12 to15 militants are active in the Apple town.

However, Inspector General of police (IGP) Kashmir range, Abdul Gani

Mir said, “I am not aware any SPO joining the militant ranks.”

According to the state’s home department over 2116 SPOs have been regularized as constables/followers under the above policy in past five years.

Official records suggest there are 25,474 SPOs presently working in different units of the police in J&K while 26567 volunteers are working with the Village Defence Committees (VDCs). 

Out of 25474 SPOs, 23577 are working in different districts and the remaining 1897 SPOs are working other wings/units of the police department. So far, 480 SPOs have been killed in various anti-militancy operations.

They are largely drawn from the youth who shun militancy or shun the path. The concept was employed during Farooq Abdullah regime in mid 1990s in order to counter the militancy in Kashmir.

But the SPOs are largely a disgruntled, underpaid lot within the 150 thousand strong Police force.

The state government has recently moved a proposal to the Union Home Ministry  for enhancement of the honorarium of SPOs from the existing Rs.3000 to Rs. 5000 per month.

The existing policy provides for conversion/absorption of SPOs (with minimum 3 years of engagement) up to 15% of the available vacancies as constables/followers “on the basis of their excellence in counter insurgency operations” or  on the basis of sports performance

Besides, SPOs who have crossed the age limit of 28 years but are within 37 years of age and have completed 3 years continuous engagement are eligible to apply for appointment/regularization to the post of constables/followers to the extent of 15% or the available vacancies.

Security experts mock the idea of creating an irregular militia to counter the militant forces. “They can bounce back. It’s usually easier for militants to sneak in such irregular force,” said a retired Police official, who wished not to be quoted by name. 

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