Dr. Jitendra Singh said that over the last one century, not only the nature of crime has changed but the society’s expectations from police have also evolved to a different level. It was considering this fact that the Supreme Court of India had six years ago put forward the suggestion of police reforms, he added. He said, while, for example, conventional crime had yielded place to cyber crime, the 21st century policing also called for use of hi-tech crime control techniques. Moreover, the menace of terrorism has added a new dimension to the constraints of policing, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that proposal for empowerment of Village Defence Committees (VDCs), envisaged in the Draft Police Bill, has been a long standing demand of BJP and it is in recognition of a commendable role played by the VDCs during the height of militancy in this state.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that proposal for creation of Special Security Zones can be discussed threadbare but it should not be seen as usurping the prerogative of the Centre or the Parliament of India to enact Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) or deploy Army with AFSPA. He said, J&K has gone through a protracted phase of terrorism and this reality cannot be ignored.
Calling for a dispassionate debate on reforms, Dr. Jitendra Singh appealed to Kashmir-centric political groups not to exploit the issue to raise separatist passions and assured that wherever there is an unwarranted intrusion into a common citizen’s freedom, the BJP will oppose it without any compromise.
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