As many as 83% of Special Police Officers posted in militancy-prone districts of JK

Srinagar, January 4: Over ten thousand Special Police Officers (SPOs) were engaged in the last two years in Jammu and Kashmir with over 83 percent of them getting selected from militancy-prone districts of the valley. This was said by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in the State Assembly on Wednesday amidst uproars and repeated adjournments.

 

CM Mehbooba Mufti said that as many as 10,758 Special Police Officers were engaged in Jammu and Kashmir in the last two years with over 83 percent of them getting selected from militancy-prone districts of the valley.

In a written reply in the Assembly, CM Mufti further noted that 8,992 SPOs were engaged in Kashmir zone while 1,457 were appointed in Jammu zone. While in Jammu zone, 385 SPOs were engaged in Jammu district, including 23 in Police Control Room. It was followed by Rajouri (270), Udhampur (185), Doda(142), Reasi(136), Ramban (115), Kathua (64), Samba (58), Poonch (52) and Kishtwar (50) during the last two years.

CM Mufti also said 309 others were selected for other wings of police including Armed, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), crime wing, railway, security, traffic and Special Security Group (SSG). The CM also said that the highest number of 1,392 SPOs were engaged in the border district of Kupwara followed by 1,377 in Baramulla district and 1,275 in Srinagar district.

Giving further details in the house, CM Mufti said the four districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama in south Kashmir, saw a total of 2,556 SPO appointments in 2016 and 2017. Among them, 1,406 were appointed last year against 51 in the previous year, Mufti said in the end.