The Election Interview/Major General P S Chaudhary
For security forces, the last phase of polling slated for Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir is also the most logistically challenging.
The massive Doda district, with its treacherous terrain spread over 14,000 square kilometres, is a nightmare for any security agency. Hunting down a terrorist could be an operation stretching over days, says Major General PS Chaudhary, general officer commanding of the Rashtriya Rifles' Delta Force.
The general feels that due to intense military operations and the systemic efforts of the Delta Force, there has been a drastic reduction in violence in Doda. During this year's various yatras, including the Amarnath Yatra, that passes through Doda, the security forces were able to maintain relative peace.
But the elections present the most difficult challenge of all. And the Delta Force is ready, says General Chaudhary, who has had stints in anti-terrorist action in Punjab and in Jammu & Kashmir, and as a young officer also saw action in 1971 in Bangladesh.
On one of his earlier stints in Kashmir, General Chaudhary led his unit in destroying most of the network of Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar, one of the terrorists supposed to be coordinating the present anti-election violence from across the border. Zargar was in an Indian jail before being released in exchange for passengers of Flight IC-814 at Kandahar on December 31, 1999.
General Chaudhary spoke to Chief Correspondent Josy Joseph at the Delta Force headquarters in Batot, a few kilometres away from the beautiful Jammu-Srinagar highway.
What is the kind of terrorist activity you have encountered in Doda in the background of the polls?
As far as Doda district is concerned, the situation is well under control. There is a major change in the attitude of the people. And militancy is on a decline in a big way, although on directions from across the border they are able to carry out random killings at times, sometime IED [improvised explosive device] blasts, sometimes they scare isolated villages and thereby force them to listen to their dictates. Otherwise, in the entire Doda district as such the situation is fully in the grip of the security forces.
Is that reflected in a drop in the number of innocent deaths?
The killings in Doda district have come down considerably compared to last year or even the previous year. But there have been some IED blasts or the random grenade thrown --- in that generally you have more people injured. Although those types of incidents are few, but like in a grenade blast you have more injuries because they throw it at a bus stand. Or sometime they give it to a child to throw it; they don't throw it actually.
You mean you have cases of kids throwing grenades?
There have been cases where they have given it to younger boys. That is where we have slightly more injuries. If you see the incidents per se, there are hardly any.
And that is helping you indirectly because locals are growing frustrated with militancy that causes high collateral damage?
It is quite evident that firstly the local population has realised the futility of the ongoing militancy, and they are quite fed up of it. Second, the local militants themselves are fairly disoriented with this type of activity that they feel they have been ultimately cheated.
There have been some militant surrenders in Doda this year. How did you manage that?
This is the first time since militancy started in the Doda side that we have had such a large number of militants surrendering. This year, the total number of terrorists surrendered is 10, which is a large number going by Doda because previously it used to be very negligible. Also because we have had very clean success in flushing out foreign militants. We have killed 54 foreign militants this year --- the highest number ever. The total number of militants that have been killed in various encounters stands at about 135, which is also the highest since the inception of insurgency in Doda district.
Are all these foreigners Pakistanis. Or are there Afghans and others?
We have had no specific information. We have not been able to find out with great veracity as to them being Afghans, but a few of them had the physiques of Afghans.
How have you managed to achieve such a high number of kills and surrenders?
The locals have realised the futility of the militancy in the area and our repeated interaction with them has convinced them that they should not permit their men or children to go for this type of activity. And in most of the cases where we have caught the children, which is a very large number, they are boys whose parents and villagers had informed us. Villagers as a whole have boycotted children being taken by militants.
Your force seems to lay a lot of focus on winning over the confidence of women --- the mothers, sisters, daughters of the region. Through them, you are trying to get the militants to surrender and to stop locals from going to Pakistan for training. Could you please discuss that?
In all the villages, when we have meetings, the ladies' participation is very good. We have a lot of civic action in the area, we have training centres, we have opened civic schools, we have started some courses, water schemes in certain villages. Due to this we find more and more local people and womenfolk coming for interaction. And it comes out from the discussions that they are not keen at all to allow their children to go for militancy type of activities. And therefore in our interactions it comes out loud and clear that the ladies have started opposing this in a major way.
Ladies are your best weapons against militancy?
I won't call them the best weapons, but they are the biggest sufferers of this militancy. Because when a militant, who is a son, or husband, is killed, the ladies are affected. Because they have seen the kind of suffering they have to go through and have realised the futility.
Will the kind of normalcy that you claim be reflected in the polls?
As far as we are concerned, our main aim is to provide a safe and secure environment for the conduct of all civil administrative activities, including elections. If you go around Doda district, people are very enthusiastic to take part in elections. There are several indicators. Firstly, the political rallies conducted by various political parties were largely attended, even in areas considered non-touchable. There were large gatherings in Kishtwar, Chhatru area of Badharwa, Doda, and Banihal. This shows that people are very keen.
Secondly, for the first time an anti-militancy rally was conducted by civilians in Banihal where 4,000 people took part. In a place like Banihal, which is close to Anantnag and considered to be a hub, there was a rally by 4,000 people. It was organised by the locals. It was about four-five months back.
Quite a large number of local militants have been killed in and around Banihal. In fact we had a very major operation just the day the Amarnath Yatra was to commence. Three militants, including two foreigners, had occupied a building in the town itself to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra. We got immediate intelligence and were able to eliminate all three. Their aim was to give a blow to the Amarnath Yatra on the day it was starting.
You have such a huge area, how is it different to keep peace in Doda as compared to the rest of the state?
The terrain of Doda, as you know, we are operating at an altitude between 3,000 and 13,000 feet, the terrain is very rugged, and at places has very, very thick forests. A large number of rivers and nullahs thus make our movement really slow. At times some of the high mountains are also affected by the weather because of clouds and low visibility. In this area, we have to keep changing our strategy from time to time. And the change of strategy is important for us to deal with the militants. It is time consuming, but when relentless operations are being carried out ultimately there is success. There are difficulties in getting speedy intelligence, speedy movement of troops, evacuation of casualty, but we overcome them with various innovations and appreciation of the situation.
What are the kinds of steps have you taken to protect the election machinery, especially isolated villages and their polling booths and candidates?
The role of the army in this election is to provide a safe and secure environment where the state machinery can work. And provide an environment where elections can be held peacefully. Our operation firstly is to carry out a relentless operation to eliminate or neutralise militants on the heights because a large number of militants have run away to the heights because of the operations. As the ranges are very large, they keep moving from one place to another.
We also have to enhance the security among local people: that they are free to cast their vote as they desire. We will also carry out intensive patrolling both by day and night. Big towns and communications centres will be well dominated.
And in remote areas?
In remote areas we send our patrols, and patrolling is now continuing for the past one month. Probably you are not aware, a large number of yatras take place in our area. We have just finished with them. This also includes domination of large hinterland areas, so both are simultaneously taking place.
How do you see the elections? Will they go smoothly?
I can say with confidence that in Doda district the percentage of people participating in the election will be far higher than in 1996. There may be stray cases of violence, which you cannot rule out. But in general I think in Doda district the election will be quite peaceful.
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