The Jammu and Kashmir Police has ordered that special police officers will not be deployed for personal security of “protected persons”, PTI reported on Thursday.
The order comes after Special Police Officer Adil Bashir, who was posted at the residence of Peoples Democratic Party MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir in Srinagar’s Jawahar Nagar area, decamped with at least nine weapons on Friday. Bashir reportedly joined the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant group.
Additional Director General of Police (Security) Muneer Ahmad Khan issued the order on Wednesday. “All SPOs, except SPO drivers, presently attached with protected persons be immediately withdrawn,” read the order sent to all district senior superintendents of police and senior superintendents.
Khan said it has been found that some special police officers were performing the duties of personal security officers, which is not in accordance with norms. He said the move will prevent accidental fire by special police officers as they are not trained to shoot and to prevent further incidents of special police officers fleeing with weapons. “I believe SPOs can never perform the duty of a personal security officer who is trained and a professional policeman,” Khan said, according to Greater Kashmir.
He also directed all range deputy inspector general to provide a list of special police officers withdrawn from duties of personal security officer by Friday. “In case any SPO does not report back, honorarium may not be released and nominal roll of such SPOs be furnished to this headquarters so that their disengagement orders are issued,” Khan said in his order.
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