Srinagar: Under fire over the lathi-charge on outstation students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) here, two senior officers of the Jammu and Kashmir police have hit back, saying they don’t need a “certificate” of nationalism or impartiality from anyone.
The police officers -- Mubassir Latifi, an SSP posted with the elite Crime Branch, and Firoz Yehya, Deputy SP at Baramulla Headquarters -- took to social media on Thursday to vent their anguish over criticism against the State police for the action against students in the wake of the unrest at the NIT here.
“J&K police doesn’t need any certificate of nationalism or impartiality from those whose valour doesn’t extend beyond their keypads,” Mr. Latifi posted on his ‘Facebook’ account.
“J&K police is a saga of sacrifice and courage and has brought this State out of a madness called terrorism,” Mr. Latifi, a Masters in Law, said.
“Jammu & Kashmir police doesn’t discriminate on the basis of who’s local and who’s non-local. Neither do we enjoy beating up people. Force is used only for maintenance of law and order and to disperse unlawful assembly of people,” he added.
He said anyone resorting to violence was committing a crime. “Someone resorting to violence is committing a crime and police knows how to take on crime,” he wrote.
Mr. Yehya said many of his colleagues have been asking and many more must be thinking “whose war are we fighting?”
“Many of my colleagues have been asking and many more must be thinking ‘whose war are we fighting?’ All I can tell them is that, this is just another phase and will pass. Further, the J&K police doesn’t need any certificate...”
“We must continue doing the good work within the ambit of law and nothing shall deter us....Good common people who we serve may be alienated with us for reasons more than one and our good work shall certainly help us win their hearts,” Mr. Yehya, a Masters in Economics, said.
Mr. Yehya reminded the critics that the State police has taken tough action against its own officers wherever they have been found guilty of overstepping their jurisdiction.
“Those who are seen to be doing anything other than what law permits them to do will be taken to task...please remember J&K police must be one of the few forces which has the courage to take action against proven offences by officers of high rank and officials of its own force,” Mr. Yehya said.
“Police action is not doubted when a student from any other institute is booked for breaking law, but there’s controversy while we are dealing with students of a particular institute!” wrote Mr. Yehya.
The police resorted to lathi-charge of the outstation students on April 5 when they were making attempts to come out on the road from the campus, located on the banks of the Dal Lake,
The students tried to push their way out of campus and march on the streets of Hazratbal in a bid to return to their home. They allegedly pushed a senior police officer following which the police swung into action and chased them back to their rooms.
