J&K Bank units in Shopian, Pulwama to shift transactions to safer zones
Rattled by robberies, the J&K Police have directed 40 banks in vulnerable areas of south Kashmir to shift the cash transactions to safer zones.
The police have asked J&K Bank to stop cash transactions in 40 vulnerable branches in the twin districts of militancy-infested Shopian and Pulwama and shift the transactions to safer branches.
This measure has been taken to avoid bank robberies in deep rural pockets of militancy-infested districts.
“We have been asked by the police to shift cash transactions of our 40 branches in Shopian and Pulwama districts to towns,” said Sajjad Bazaz, Head of Corporate Communications, J&K Bank. “The branches from where cash transactions have been shifted will however function normally,” he added.
There have been nine bank robberies in the last six months in the Valley after the demonetisation was announced by the Prime Minister. Except one, all robberies have taken place in south Kashmir districts. The militants also carried out an attack on J&K bank cash van in Kulgam that left five policemen and two bank guards dead.
J&K Bank has also asked its branch heads to have a close liaison with the local police to thwart loots and keep the banks guards exclusively for security purpose.
While issuing the new guidelines, the bank management termed the security scenario “grim” in the wake of the robberies. The bank communiqué said the security apparatus had been upgraded and all business units had been provided with adequate security.
‘It is, however incumbent upon business unit heads to ensure that the security personnel provided to them remain alert and vigilant and ensure that security guards are exclusively used for security purpose and not compelled to perform jobs other than security,” it said.
It has warned the officers that in case of deviation of the guidelines, strict action will follow. “Security issues are directly monitored by the chairman’s secretariat and any deviation of guidelines will attract strict action,” it said.
The branch heads have been directed to keep minimum cash on the counter and retain minimum cash at the branches even though the prescribed limit may be more.
It also told the branch heads that cash vans arriving from respective currency chests should not be made to wait and should be disposed of within minutes.
Meanwhile, militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba today said “robbing banks is not the work of militants and it was the Indian agenda to malign them”.
“We do not believe in heist. Robbing banks is not the work of Mujahideen. Honesty, truth and serving Kashmiri people is our core trait. This is an Indian agenda to malign us that has been planned in Delhi,” Lashkar spokesperson Abdullah Ghazanvi said in a statement.
New guidelines for tighter security
* J&K Bank has asked its branch heads to have a close liaison with the local police to thwart loots
* It is incumbent upon business unit heads to ensure that the security personnel provided to them remain vigilant
* Guards must be exclusively used for security purpose and not compelled to perform jobs other than keeping vigil
* The branches have been told to keep minimum cash on the counter
Search ops aimed at preventing killings, looting
Srinagar: Amid the rising violence in south Kashmir, a senior CRPF officer on Friday said the cordon and search operations were aimed at putting an end to killings and checking incidents of bank looting. “For the last two-three days, a large-scale cordon and search operation has been underway to create a sense of security among people and stop looting and killings,” Inspector General, CRPF, Srinagar sector, Ravideep Sahi told mediapersons on the sidelines of a sports event. “There are inputs which suggest that militants do come and go in Srinagar but we don’t have any information about their permanent bases so far,” Sahi said.
