DNA Edit: Tightening security around Army camps in J&K must become top priority

The latest terrorist attack on an Army camp near Kupwara in which an officer and two jawans were killed is a wake-up call to the armed forces to tighten security around camps, stations, and bases. A security audit of military camps in the aftermath of three high profile attacks last year — at the Pathankot Air Force Station, the Uri brigade headquarters, and an artillery unit in Nagrota near the 16 Corps headquarters — had pointed out gaps in perimeter security.

Subsequently, the defence ministry had ordered that nine-feet walls with electric fencing be erected at all camps. But the camp at Kupwara only had the usual concertina wire fencing, which the heavily armed terrorists were able to cut and enter.

It is to these camps that soldiers head to catch a wink of sleep amid their anti-insurgency duties. The strategy of the militants, who are numerically a miniscule force, is to use the element of surprise to wreak maximum casualties on soldiers when they are most likely to be caught off guard, within the perceived safety of their camps. Besides perimeter fortification, electronic installations like surveillance cameras, entry intrusion detection system, infra-red lights, and security lights were proposed during the audit.

The Army has said that fortification works have begun, but will take time to get over. This must be expedited but there is also a larger philosophical question staring at the establishment. It suits the terrorists to keep the Army on a state of permanent vigil, even inside camps. The Army is India’s premier fighting force and perimeter security is of utmost importance. Perhaps, the solution is to employ surgical strikes more regularly to send the message to the terrorists and their backers across the border that such attacks will be repaid proportionately.

From several thousand militants in the Valley in the early 90s to an estimated 300 armed militants this summer, the Army has settled the question of the use of force to break India’s sovereignty in Kashmir. These few remaining desperadoes pose a headache and the renewed support they are getting from locals, after a long time, makes the task of proactively eliminating them a challenging one.