On Facebook and WhatsApp, more resignation videos of J-K policemen; police say rumours

On Facebook and WhatsApp, Jammu and Kashmir’s special police officers announce resignations

For the past two days social media groups associated with the militants have posted pictures of more than three dozen SPOs and police officials the militant group wants to resign.

Rafiqa Akthar worked as a Jammu and Kashmir special police officer (SPO) for 15 years, but in a video posted on Facebook on Monday she announced she had quit. Akthar, a resident of Bongam village in Kulgam district, said that she has left her job without any pressure or fear.

Militants killed three policemen, two of them SPOs, they had abducted on September 21 in south Kashmir’s Shopian, the hotbed of militancy in the state. Since then dozens of videos have emerged on Facebook and WhatsApp in which SPOs and policemen say they have resigned.

SPOs draw a monthly salary of Rs 5,000 and are not permanent employees of the police, but they wear uniforms and are sometimes used for anti-militancy operations.

Shabir Ahmad Thokar, a resident of Samnoo in south Kashmir, said on camera he had decided to disassociate himself from the police after eight years as an SPO. In another video, Irshad Ahmad Baba of Daigam in Shopian said that he was a police constable. “From today, I am not associated with police as I have resigned from my job,’’ he said.

“No SPO has resigned. The poor SPO who used to stand at the gate of our court (in Shopian) has willingly absented himself from duty and is lying on social media about his resignation. Can see many policemen in Court Complex taking affidavits regarding their resignation,” said Habeel Iqbal, a lawyer at district and sessions court, on Twitter to reject government claims that police officials have resigned after threats.

Riyaz Naikoo, operational commander of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, last week in an audio message released on social media asked policemen and SPOs to resign. The three policemen were killed in Kaparan and Batagund villages days after Naikoo’s threat.

Dilbagh Singh, Director General of Police, had termed the resignation of SPOs and policemen as rumours circulated by militant sympathisers after the policemen’s murders.

However, for the past two days social media groups associated with the militants have posted pictures of more than three dozen SPOs and police officials the militant group wants to resign. Family members of the police officials, most of whom are posted in south Kashmir, are in panic. Policemen have been communicated not to visit their families or villages in South Kashmir by concerned police stations as a security measure.

State chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam on Tuesday confirmed some SPOs had resigned. “Yes, there were couple of resignations but they are insignificant. The government will revise their (SPOs) salary,” he said.

However, after the first few resignations posted online on September 21, the Union home ministry rebutted the claims. “Jammu and Kashmir Police have confirmed that these reports are untrue and motivated. These reports are based on false propaganda by mischievous elements,” it said in a tweet.

“There are over 30000 SPOs and their services are reviewed from time to time. Some mischievous elements are trying to project that those SPOs whose services are not renewed due to administrative reasons, have resigned,” it said in another tweet.

First Published: Sep 25, 2018 16:35 IST