Disbanding SOG will help ultras

Do only terrorists have human rights?

Author: Chandan Mitra
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: November 8, 2002

Disbanding SOG will help ultras

Author:
Publication: The Statesman
Date: October 29, 2002

The army in Kashmir feels that disbanding the special operations group (SOG) of police' will affect the anti-militancy operations, Earlier, the BSF had also expressed its reservations against disbanding the SOG saying it will affect operation of the security forces against militants.

Talking to reporters during an informal chat in Srinagar, the GOC 15 Corps, Lieutenant-General VG Patankar, said: The disbanding of SOG will affect anti-insurgency operation as they are a vital source of information for operation against militants. They, however, are not the only source of information, there are other sources also," Gen Patankar said.

The SOG has been the primary source of information for both BSF and army since the militants who turned counter-insurgents and surrendered militants lost sting against militants. The army especially used the surrendered militants as an effective tool against militants. The use of counterinsurgents not only provided the army better information about militant net works but also saved the army from accusations of human rights abuses. However, after the decline of counter-insurgents, the SOG co-ordianted well with security forces. This also shifted focus of rights abuses against BSF and army to SOG. Most of the cases in the State Human Rights Commission are against the SOG.

The disbanding of the force will once again bring BSF and army in direct line of criticism by rights groups and activists. This is one big fact that has worried the army as its image is likely to take a beating in such a situation. On the question of infiltration, the 15 corps commander, entrusted with security of LoC in Kashmir, said infiltration has not stopped.

"During the last ten days there has been no infiltration but it's on, it has not stopped," he said. He said they were ever ready to thwart any misadventure across the LoC and they had not relaxed their guard despite demobilisation elsewhere. The disbanding of SOG has been one of the highlights of the People's Democratic Party's election manifesto. The PDP has long demanded winding up of the force as it has emerged as the worst tormentor of the human rights. The rights activists and groups have accused SOG of custodial killings, rapes, extortion, elimination in fake encounters and custodial disappearances.

The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, has termed the formation of a non-Congress headed coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, a "symbol of far-sightedness on the part of the party and a government made in the larger interests of the people of the state".