Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone Sujit Kumar (IPS), who recently assumed charge of the Kashmir Zone, visited Anantnag and chaired his first security and crime review meeting for the strategically important South Kashmir region.
The meeting was held at the District Police Office (DPO) Anantnag and was attended by DIG South Kashmir Range Javid Iqbal Matoo-IPS, SSP Anantnag Amod Ashok Nagpure-IPS, and other senior officers from the district.
During the meeting, IGP Kashmir reviewed the overall security situation and crime scenario in Anantnag, underlining the strategic importance of South Kashmir in the Valley’s broader security framework.
He took a detailed assessment of security arrangements, crime prevention measures, case investigations and ongoing police operations. During the deliberations, security forces were also provided with maximum inputs regarding the presence of active terrorists.
The IGP stressed the need to further strengthen the security grid, maintain close coordination among field formations and ensure timely and effective action against criminal and anti-social elements. He also emphasised preventive measures and heightened vigilance to maintain peace and security in the region.
Senior officers briefed the IGP on the prevailing security and crime situation in the district, as well as measures being taken to strengthen policing and public safety.
Why South Kashmir remains a security focus
Despite a significant decline in large-scale insurgency, the threat in South Kashmir has not disappeared completely. The region continues to hold strategic importance because of its dense forests, mountainous terrain, historical terror networks and its role as a transit and support area connecting the Valley with other regions.
Recent incidents have also highlighted the continued threat of attacks against soft targets. On July 22, 2026, a policeman was shot dead in Anantnag near Lal Chowk while deployed for Amarnath Yatra duty. The Resistance Front (TRF), viewed by Indian agencies as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
On July 31, 2026, two non-local migrant labourers from Chhattisgarh were killed at a brick kiln in Kulgam.
Security agencies also continue to remain alert to the presence of hybrid terrorists and overground workers (OGWs). Such individuals may have no prior criminal record and lead seemingly normal lives, while receiving remote digital radicalisation or instructions to carry out quick attacks, often using pistols or grenades, before blending back into the population.
The thick forests and mountainous terrain across Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and adjoining areas can provide hideouts and movement corridors. Foreign terrorists, some of whom are battle-hardened, can exploit these areas to evade security forces and survive for extended periods.
South Kashmir has historically remained one of the key terrorism-affected regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Recent high-level security reviews, including the one chaired by newly appointed IGP Kashmir Sujit Kumar, who took charge in late August 2026, underscore the focus on anti-terror operations, tighter coordination, heightened vigilance and sustained pressure on remaining terror networks.
While large-scale insurgency has been significantly degraded, South Kashmir continues to face a low-intensity but persistent security challenge, marked by adaptive hybrid tactics, small foreign-led teams and opportunistic attacks on soft targets. Maintaining a multi-layered security grid, real-time intelligence and public cooperation remains crucial to preventing any resurgence.
