A NEW BEGINNING: Staunch nationalist, professionally strong, honest, and a spymaster RR Swain is the new DG of J&K Police; Massive reforms in J&K police likely

A NEW BEGINNING: Staunch nationalist, professionally strong, honest, and a spymaster RR Swain is the new DG of J&K Police; Massive reforms in J&K police likely

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH/JAMMU: It is said that honesty and dedication pay off in the long run, and the same proved true about the new DG J&K Police officer, Rashmi Ranjan Swain, a 1991 batch IPS (AGMUT) officer who is known all over the country as a staunch nationalist, professionally strong, an ace spymaster, and an honest police officer.

RR Swain, who has taken over as 17^th DG of J&K Police, is known for his outstanding drafting skills and also enjoys a massive reputation everywhere due to his strong professional character. He has served in J&K during the most challenging times, when the militancy was at its peak. His strong overall professionalism has become a guiding force for junior officers. He also served as SSP in the most sensitive districts of Poonch, Srinagar, and Jammu when J&K was going through an era of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Swain also served as SSP for Leh and Ramban districts. There were very few police officers in J&K Police who enjoyed a massive reputation due to their honesty and strong professional conduct, and the new DGP, RR Swain, always remained at the top of the list. Swain remained in central deputation for fifteen years and worked on important assignments, including Cabinet Secretariat and MEA, but he was called back to J&K in 2020, and after that, he played a big role as intelligence chief after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A. In the proper establishment of the State Investigation Agency (SIA), Swain played a big part. As an ace spymaster in J&K, he demolished the terror ecosystem. Terror Financing and Narco Terror were countered with iron hands by the government based on the reports generated by the top cop. Those government officials, who were silently working for Pakistan, were thrown out of the government service, and RR Swain played a very big part in that. As an intelligence chief, Swain played multiple roles behind the scenes to demolish the various forms of terrorism in the J&K as he gained enough knowledge of the tricks of the trade adopted by the other side to weaken India. In countering the false narratives of Pakistan in the Kashmir valley to attract the innocent people of Kashmir on various anti-India issues, Swain dismantled the false narrative gangs time and again, and due to his extraordinary hard work for the nation, people have now started seeing massive changes on the ground. The common man of Kashmir is happy and now wants to see an elected government, and this may prove to be the biggest setback for Pakistan-sponsored militancy. The biggest factor that may give RR Swain an edge as DGP is his vast knowledge of the state of affairs at J&K, touching every field as an intelligence chief. Even he is fully aware of the presence of unprofessional officers in the J&K police setup, and this is the reason that many such officers who are known for violations of professional conduct have started feeling the heat in advance. Many police officers were seen expressing that the new DGP will bring reforms to the J&K police, which are long overdue. It is pertinent to mention here that the J&K police played a big role in the establishment of peace in J&K after the abrogation of temporary articles 370 and 35-A. Terrorism was dealt heavily by the security forces, and as a result of the massive efforts of J&K police, security, and intelligence agencies, J&K has started seeing an era of peace again. In addition to this, there was an impression among the J&K police officials that meritorious officers were never rewarded properly, and those with strong links were given prize postings, and this exercise allegedly lowered the morale of many efficient officers from a low to a higher level. Reports of corruption at various police station levels, involvement of officials in mining, drug trafficking, wrong FIRs, cancellation of FIRs of some heinous crimes against the nation by some SSPs under political influence, not solving major crime cases in the Rajouri-Poonch range, and likewise important security issues got the attention of media platforms, but no efforts were made by the top brass of the police to address these issues. As a result, the trust of the public in the police suffered to a hefty extent. It is important to mention here that as SSP Poonch, Swain took many decisions aimed at strengthening the police, and his tenure is still fresh in the minds of the locals. It would be interesting to see how the new DGP, RR Swain, will tackle all the emerging challenges.  As an intelligent chief, he has in-depth knowledge of the entire J&K. In addition to these day-to-day issues, the major thing everybody is looking at is the expected transformation in J&K police under the leadership of RR Swain, who is known for his strong professional ethics. Although the J&K police have eliminated the signs of terrorism in the valley barring recent target killing incidents, the acts of revival of terrorism in the Jammu region, particularly in the Rajouri-Poonch range during the last two to three years, need strong action, and in this connection, postings of strong police heads again, like previous ones, in the region are not ruled out because of the below-expected performance of the police officers in the region during recent challenging times on various sensitive law and order issues related to internal security, terrorism, and drug mafia. The new DGP, RR Swain, has gained enough professional experience, and it is likely that he will use all the chinks in his armory to give a new and competently strong look to the J&K police with an agenda to demolish the remaining signs of terrorism in addition to winning the hearts and minds of the people at the grassroots level. J&K Police, which is considered an elite force, is expected to rise further under the leadership of RR Swain, and being an honest person, he may introduce honesty and transparency in all wings of the J&K Police at all levels to restore public faith in the country’s elite force.