Jammu & Kashmir DGP Rashmi Ranjan Swain who has triggered a political row along with his remarks accusing mainstream and regional political events within the Valley of facilitating Pakistan’s “infiltration into civil society” shouldn’t be new to the Union territory – or to controversy.
A 1991-batch IPS officer who initially belongs to Odisha, Swain has been on central deputation for many a part of his skilled service however has additionally served in J&Ok in a sequence of delicate posts, together with as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in each the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu and within the J&Ok Vigilance Fee (now known as the Anti-Corruption Bureau).
Since 2020, Swain has been in J&Ok, delivered to the state from his Central deputation, a 12 months after the abrogation of Article 370, because the Extra Director Basic of the J&Ok Police’s Felony Investigation Division (CID). Within the wake of the scrapping of J&Ok’s particular standing and its division into two Union territories, bringing it underneath direct Central management, the place Swain held because the intelligence chief got here to be among the many strongest within the Valley.
Because the ADG, CID, he reported on to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and the Union Residence Ministry. He was credited with tightening the noose round separatist and militant networks at a time when the sport plan of the Narendra Modi authorities post-Article 370 rested on guaranteeing that violence didn’t sweep a resentful Valley. Swain was additionally credited with cracking down on “corrupt” cops, which contributed too to the Centre’s projection of its measures as the beginning of a brand new period in Kashmir.
Correspondingly, Swain was accused of hardline measures towards militant households and acquaintances, together with weaponising issuance of passports to them and denying them the verifications wanted for jobs, in addition to placing dissenting voices akin to civil society members, activists and journalists on Look Out Round notices to stop them from travelling overseas.
As per sources, it was Swain who formulated the coverage of terminating companies of presidency workers for any hyperlinks to separatism or militancy, together with by way of affiliation with others, with out giving them an opportunity to make clear their place.
Many political leaders say Swain has additionally performed an energetic function within the politics of J&Ok, left in a churn post-Article 370, doing the Centre’s bidding in orchestrating splits in events or pressuring political leaders to change sides.
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Swain’s powers as intelligence chief meant he trod on many sneakers. His relations with sure prime cops, together with his predecessor DGP Dilbagh Singh, have been believed to have been strained. When Singh retired in October 2023, after setting a document because the longest-serving J&Ok DGP, the Union Residence Ministry selected Swain because the in-charge police chief, whereas retaining him because the intelligence chief – underlining his significance for the federal government.
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