One of them faces allegations of perpetrating atrocities during Amarnath Land Row agitation
Two senior superintendents of police (SSP) level officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Police have chosen to voluntarily retire in order to run in the upcoming assembly elections from the Jammu district’s Marh and Akhnoor assembly constituencies. The elections are highly anticipated by the end of September 30 this year.
Senior Superintendent Mohan Lal Kaith, a 2003-batch J&K Police Service (JKPS) officer in charge of the security wing’s 4th Battalion, has left his position.
“The police department has cleared his resignation file, and it is currently awaiting acceptance at the home department.” According to those close to him, Kaith, 59, would run in the upcoming elections from the Marh constituency, which has been set aside for members of the scheduled caste. He is expected to contest the polls on a BJP ticket. Interestingly, Kaith was SDPO West in 2008 and has been accused among few other senior police officers of perpetrating excesses and atrocities by the RSS- SASS that spearheaded the Shri Amarnath Land Row agitation in 2008.
Mohan Lal, a 58-year-old SSP level officer, has also filed his paperwork to leave the police force voluntarily.
“The officer has chosen to participate in a voluntary retirement program after completing their required service. According to those with knowledge of the development, he would also run in the upcoming Assembly elections from the Akhnoor assembly constituency, which has been set aside for candidates from the SC community.
The home department was still waiting on his resignation file to be accepted.
Prior to making the decision to hang their uniforms, both police officers reportedly had discussions with the BJP.
The saffron party, that seems to have forgiven the one of officers for alleged atrocities he had perpetrated during the 2008 Shri Amarnath Land Row agitation, hopes to boost its chances of winning the Assembly elections by enlisting the two senior officers after its vote share in the recently concluded Parliamentary elections in the Jammu area sharply declined.
The residents of Marh and Akhnoor get along well with the two police officers, who maintain a tidy and clean appearance. A BJP leader who insisted on being anonymous stated, “The BJP wants to en-cash their reputation.”
The People’s Democratic Party secured 28 seats and the BJP secured a record 25 seats from the Jammu region in the 2014 assembly elections.
Following this, the two political parties established a coalition government, which disintegrated on June 19, 2018, as a result of the BJP and PDP splitting over the deteriorating security situation.
Before the J&K’s special status was lost and the state was divided into the J&K and Ladakh UTs on August 5, 2019, this assembly election was the last one.
