New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that with decline in terror activities and improvement in security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir, the police should now prioritize safeguarding the rights of its citizens.
Shah, chaired a review meeting on the implementation of three new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir, in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here, a Home Ministry statement said.
During the discussion, the Home Minister asked the UT administration to ensure full implementation of the three new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir by April 2025. He said that optimum use of technology should be made to ensure speedy justice under the three new criminal laws.
He said that for the full implementation of the new laws, it is imperative to change the attitude of the police personnel and the administration and create awareness about the new laws among the citizens.
Shah stressed on the need to fix responsibility of police officers to expedite the process of filing chargesheets.
He said that every police station in Jammu and Kashmir should put the maximum use of the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) into practice.
He said that 100 percent training of investigating officers regarding the provisions of the new laws should be ensured, at the earliest. Decisions on provisions related to terrorism and organised crime should be taken only after thorough scrutiny at the level of Superintendent of Police.
He said that strict monitoring is required to ensure that these provisions under the new laws are not misused.
The minister stated that the Jammu and Kashmir administration and government have done satisfactory work towards the implementation of the new criminal laws despite difficult circumstances.
He added that the progress of implementation of the three new laws in the Union Territory should be reviewed on a monthly, fortnightly and weekly basis at the level of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, respectively.