Lagatar24 Desk
Srinagar: Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has demanded the dismissal of DGP RR Swain, labeling him a “political fixer” amid increasing terror attacks in the region. Mufti’s call for action follows an encounter in Doda where an Army captain and three soldiers were killed, just days after another deadly ambush in Kathua district claimed the lives of five Army personnel.
Mufti, highlighting the loss of 50 soldiers over the past 32 months, criticized the lack of accountability and asserted, “Heads should have rolled by now… the DGP (RR Swain) should have been sacked by now.” She accused Swain of prioritizing political maneuvers over security, stating, “The incumbent DGP is more busy fixing things politically. He is more into how to crush the PDP and how to harass the people.”
These remarks came after DGP Swain accused political parties in Jammu and Kashmir of aiding Pakistan’s infiltration into civil society. He claimed that leaders of mainstream parties were cultivating terror network leaders for political gains, which Mufti vehemently denied, accusing Swain of treating locals as Pakistanis and exacerbating their alienation.
Mufti further criticized the weaponization of passport and antecedents’ verification, the invocation of UAPA against civilians, and the harassment of the business community and clerics. “We do not need a ‘fixer’ here, we need a DGP… No one worked on communal lines, but today it is done on communal lines. Employees are being sacked on charges of corruption. Most of them are from the majority community,” she alleged.
Questioning the effectiveness of the DGP and the central government, Mufti lamented the daily loss of soldiers on the border and the lack of investigations into these incidents. “The government of India has been ruling Jammu and Kashmir for the past six years, but what have they done? They put innocent people, be it a local, or a journalist, in jail,” she claimed.
The controversy escalated after DGP Swain’s speech at IIM Jammu, where he accused mainstream political leaders of sympathizing with killed terrorists and aiding Pakistan’s infiltration into civil society. He highlighted the role of Jamiat-i-Islami in providing ideological support to terrorists and sabotaging government efforts to stabilize the region.
As tensions rise and accountability remains in question, the demand for effective leadership in addressing security challenges in Jammu and Kashmir becomes ever more pressing.
