CID Denies Pressuring Litigants To Withdraw Passport Cases

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Police has responded to recent media reports suggesting that its intelligence and counterintelligence wing is pressuring litigants to withdraw from the process of redressing their grievances through courts of law.

In a statement to Srinagar based news agency KDC, a spokesman for the Criminal Investigation Department said that the claims made were false, and an internal audit had been carried out to investigate the accusations. The police confirmed that officers would approach the aggrieved person to ascertain further details about who pressurized them and under what circumstances, so that a thorough inquiry could be conducted and suitable disciplinary action taken against the delinquent.

The J&K Police pointed out that the accusations were problematic because they denigrated public institutions designed to serve the public’s interest. The department emphasized that such false accusations harmed the community and appealed for people not to project personal grievances as public ones.

According to police statistics, in 2020, out of 77,686 passport verifications received, 77,644 (99.95%) cleared. In 2021, out of 75,714 passport verifications received, 75,176 (99.68%) cleared, and in 2022, out of 134,315 passport verifications received, 128,939 (99.61%) cleared.

The spokesman also highlighted the importance of security verifications preceding the issuance of passports, calling it a high-value public service. The police had detected 54 young boys who were wrongly given passport services during 2017-2018. All of them were taken to terrorist camps in Pakistan, trained in arms, ammunition, and explosives, and many were pushed back into Jammu and Kashmir through the Line of Control. Tragically, 26 of them died either while crossing or during encounters in the hinterland.

The CID was able to bring 12 of these young boys back under preventive custody to prevent terrorist-separatist syndicates from pressuring them to join terror ranks. The boys have now been reunited with their families and are happily living with them. Unfortunately, 16 of them are still trapped in camps under the control of hostile agencies.

Police investigations confirmed that in each case, the visa to Pakistan was arranged at the behest of one or the other leader of a constituent party of Hurriyat. The J&K Police is committed to helping the parents of vulnerable young person’s not fall prey to the death traps.

J&K Police reassured the public that they are committed to speedy and hassle-free clearance for those who are “clean and green.” They also stressed the importance of professional filtering of those who should be prevented from availing the service, both in their own interest and in the interest of the public.