Kashmir ADGP, whose tenure saw the killing of 552 militants, selected for President’s Police Medal
The Hindu
His tenure has seen the killing of 552 militants and he is credited with ‘drastic decline in the recruitment in terror ranks’
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Vijay Kumar, who was appointed Kashmir’s top police officer immediately after the Union government ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional position in 2019, is being awarded the President’s Police Medal for “distinguished services” on Republic Day.
Since Mr. Kumar took over as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, in December 2019, his tenure has seen the killing of 552 militants in the Valley. The deceased militants were buried in faraway places with controlled funeral rites. Mr. Kumar stopped the handing over of bodies of militants to their families for burial in their native place.
“ADGP Kumar made a big difference in the making of the history of new Kashmir,” Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, who retired as General Officer of the Indian Army, said.
Official records suggest that Mr. Kumar’s tenure also saw a fall in the number of incidents of pelting by stones, and of street protests in Kashmir, which occurred commonly before 2019. He is credited with “drastic decline in the recruitment in terror ranks”.
He is also credited with maintaining peace following the death of senior separatist leader Syes Ali Shah Geelani; overseeing the first ever election to District Development Councils; and conducting a peaceful Amarnath Yatra in 2022.
Officials said Mr. Kumar’s tenure witnessed greater participation of the J&K Police in anti-militancy operations, and a massive crackdown on anti-national elements, including separatists and their supporters.
Mr. Kumar has been honoured with President’s awards in the past too, including the Police Medal for Gallantry in 2003, the Police Medal for Gallantry in 2005, the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2013, and the Police Medal for Gallantry in 2019.