Srinagar: In a major decision aimed at further empowering the State Investigation Agency (SIA), the Jammu and Kashmir Government has ordered merger of CID (Counter Intelligence) wing with CID (Special Branch).
The CID (Counter Intelligence) wing, which was tasked to tackle anti-national activities, stands abolished following constitution of the SIA.
“The officers and officials posted in CID (Counter Intelligence) have been adjusted in the CID (Special Branch)
A total of 199 CID (Counter Intelligence) officials were posted in CI Jammu wing and 183 in Kashmir office. All of them will now report to respective CID (Special Branch) wings, they added.
The SIA will now deal with all militancy-related operations which it has been assigned during its constitutions and the tasks which were being performed by the CID (Counter Intelligence).
The CID (Special Branch) will continue to perform all its present duties including Intelligence gathering, verifications etc.
“The officers posted in the CID (Counter Intelligence) will now report to the CID (Special Branch) other than those who have been adjusted in the SIA.
Asserting that after constitution of the SIA, the Counter Intelligence wing of the CID had lost its relevance, sources said the tasks being performed by CID (CI) have now been entirely assigned to the SIA.
Earlier also, the Government had designated DIG CID Atul Goel as DIG SIA and SSPs of CID (CI) Jammu/Kashmir as SSPs of the SIA.
An official order of the CID wing said the officers/officials of CID CI unit of Jammu/Kashmir have been adjusted in their respective CID (Special Branch) units “as is where basis” for further duties.
The SSPs of Special Branch Kashmir/Jammu shall post the officers/officials by following criteria/principles that would ensure quality and credible intelligence gathering, the official order said.
It added that the officers/officials transferred to the Special Branch Jammu/Kashmir will be accountable and answerable to the concerned SSP Special Branch and they will work under their supervision, command and control.
“Their performance will be judged by the SSP Special Branch through the chain of supervisory officers. However, for their pay and allowance purposes CID (Counter Intelligence) would continue to provide establishment platform.
The anomalies/shortcomings, if any, which surface during implementation process shall be addressed separately through reconciliation process,” the order read.
It further said that all resources available with CID (Counter Intelligence) units at outstations such as office accommodation, furniture, computing resources, electronic gadgets, records held in digital and hard formats (registers and files) will also be passed in to the Special Branch.
