Though Jammu & Kashmir police is struggling against all odds in the troubled Kashmir valley but Governor N N Vohra like Mehbooba Mufti has created two parallel power centers with the appointment of Muneer Ahmad Khan as Additional Director General Police (Law & Order). Though the order issued by the home department clearly said that over all command and control of the police will continue to lie with incumbent Director General Police Dr S P Vaid but asking two territorial IGPs of Kashmir and Jammu regions and district SPs to report to newly appointed Additional Director General Police (ADGP) Muneer Ahmed Khan send out a message that Director General Police Dr S P Vaid has been virtually relieved of the law and order responsibilities. Relieving Director General Police Dr S P Vaid of the responsibilities of law and order at a time and keeping the overall command of the police with him means that dual control has been allowed just before the commencement of Yatra. In the year 2016 the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had also relieved then Director General police of the responsibilities of law and order and passed on them to then Special Director General Police Dr S P Vaid but in the presence of two parallel power centres in Yatra time the then Mehbooba government failed to control the violent streets protests which led to death of more than one hundred civilians in different parts of Kashmir. Interestingly the situation was slowly controlled after the then Mehbooba Government ended the dual control with the appointment of Dr S P Vaid as full fledged Director General Police. Like Mehbooba Mufti the incumbent governor N N Vohra has also put the police under dual control in Yatra time by appointing Muneer Ahmad Khan as Additional Director General Police (Law & Order).
Administrative wisdom did not demand that law and order be handed over to an officer of ADG rank junior to most of his contemporaries at a time when annual Amarnath Yatra is about to commence in the absence of a popular government.
The only difference in keeping the police under dual control between Mehbooba and Governor Vohra is that S P Vaid was one among the senior most officers of Director General rank when Mehbooba government handed over the law and order responsibilities to him. Unlike Mehbooba the governor has handed over the law and order responsibilities to an officer of Additional Director General rank Muneer Ahmad Khan who is junior to his many contemporaries known for their professional integrity and promising service track record. Dual control of police administration can also create confusion among the police cadres tasked the job of maintaining law and order situation in as hostile atmosphere as is prevalent in Kashmir valley this time. Administrative wisdom did not demand that law and order be handed over to an officer of ADG rank junior to most of his contemporaries at a time when annual Amarnath Yatra is about to commence in the absence of a popular government.
