Srinagar, July 03: Two days after Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed district administrations to reopen “deliberately buried” cases of terrorism victims, Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday launched dedicated helplines across several districts of the Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag, Baramulla, Awantipora, and other areas, to support and assist families affected by terrorism over the past three decades.
The initiative is widely seen as the administration’s renewed push to deliver justice to victims of terrorism-era violence and ensure government job opportunities and support mechanisms for their next of kin.
A police spokesman said that Kashmir Zone Police has established a Zonal-level Grievance Cell at the Police Control Room (PCR), Kashmir. The cell aims to address the grievances of terrorism-affected families in the Valley by providing structured institutional support.
“It will operate from Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The cell offers families of victims of terrorism a dedicated channel to share their grievances. These will be forwarded to the relevant departments for swift redressal,” he said.
According to police officials, this facility aims to provide timely support and redressal for the long-pending issues of terror-affected families. “We are committed to supporting such families and will share all received information with the concerned authorities for necessary action. This initiative aims to ensure access to rightful entitlements and timely redressal under existing government policies,” he added.
In north Kashmir’s Baramulla, residents welcomed the initiative. GhulamNabi Lone (name changed), a retired employee whose brother was killed by terrorists in the early 2000s, said, “We had given up hope after years of neglect. This helpline has rekindled a sense of justice in us. Let’s hope the promises are kept,” he said.
Similarly, in south Kashmir’s Tral, several families approached the newly launched help desk at the police station a few months ago. “People want to be heard. Many of these cases were never even officially registered,” said a police official supervising the cell, Abdul Majeed, whose relative was killed by terrorists in 2020.
The initiative is expected to be rolled out to all other districts of the Valley in the coming days. Senior police officials confirmed that they are compiling lists of cases where either FIRs were not filed or no follow-up action was taken due to various circumstances, including the prevailing terrorism and administrative indifference at the time.
Civil society members have also welcomed the move but called for transparency, compassion, and sincerity in the process.
