Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday directed security forces to tighten pressure on terror networks and their support systems, calling for intensified area domination operations and a robust, proactive counter-terrorism strategy across the Union Territory. Sinha chaired a high-level security review meeting at the Lok Bhawan in Srinagar to assess the overall security apparatus and strategic preparedness across the region. Officials described the directives as sending a clear signal of zero tolerance toward terrorism and the broader ecosystem that sustains it, reinforcing the administration's continued focus on eliminating militancy in the Union Territory.

The meeting brought together a wide cross-section of the security establishment. It was attended by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Principal Secretary of the Home Department Chandraker Bharti, Special DG Coordination at Police Headquarters S.J.M. Gillani, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor Mandeep K. Bhandari, ADGP CID M.K. Sinha, IGP Kashmir Sujit Kumar, IGP Jammu Tejinder Singh, and IGP Crime Branch Sarah Rizvi, along with divisional commissioners and deputy inspectors general of police. The gathering also included senior representatives from the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, intelligence agencies, and the civil administration, underscoring the multi-agency character of the review and the emphasis placed on coordinated planning at the highest levels of the security establishment.

During the review, Sinha directed security agencies to maintain sustained pressure on terror networks and to intensify area domination operations in sensitive pockets of the Union Territory. He additionally called for stronger, more targeted action against narco-terror networks, which authorities have increasingly flagged as a source of funding and logistical support for militancy, as well as against emerging digital threats such as online radicalization and propaganda. Sinha instructed officers to maintain heightened operational vigilance and ensure seamless coordination between different agencies, stressing that a proactive, rather than reactive, approach was essential to safeguarding peace and law and order across both the Kashmir and Jammu divisions.

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Beyond conventional security operations, the Lieutenant Governor placed considerable emphasis on public trust as a foundation for effective policing. He directed police officials to strengthen direct engagement with citizens, including by designating specific hours for public interaction and grievance redressal at police stations. Sinha stressed that police personnel must continuously engage with the public and that every genuine grievance be addressed with sensitivity, adding that investigations must be conducted with fairness, transparency and impartiality. This focus on community engagement reflects an administrative approach that pairs tougher counter-terror measures with efforts to build confidence among residents, particularly in areas where trust between security forces and local populations has historically been strained.

The security review takes place against the backdrop of a long and complex security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a region that has experienced decades of militancy and periodic unrest. In recent years, authorities have repeatedly emphasized dismantling not just active terror cells but the wider networks of financing, recruitment, and communication that sustain them. By explicitly linking traditional area domination tactics with newer concerns such as narco-terrorism and digital radicalization, Tuesday's directives point to an evolving security strategy that seeks to address both established and emerging threats simultaneously.

Officials indicated that the instructions issued during the meeting would be carried forward through coordinated operations involving the police, Army, intelligence agencies, and civil administration. The Lieutenant Governor's office is expected to continue monitoring implementation of these directives in the coming weeks, as security forces work to sustain pressure on militant networks while also expanding outreach and grievance-redressal mechanisms aimed at strengthening public confidence in law enforcement across the Union Territory.

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