A delegation of the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Wednesday called on Superintendent of Police, Dehradun, Pramod Kumar, and discussed issues concerning the safety, security and welfare of students and shawl sellers from Jammu & Kashmir residing and working in the district.

The delegation, as per a statement, was led by JKSA National Convenor Nasir Khuehami and accompanied by National President Adv. Umar Jamal, National Spokesperson Dr Zubair Reshi, National Secretary Adv. Gazi Muzamil, Media Coordinator Mohammad Younus, and other members of the association.

During the meeting, the delegation apprised the SP of various concerns and challenges faced by students and seasonal workers from J&K. The delegation emphasised the importance of maintaining regular communication and coordination between the police administration, educational institutions, student representatives and the wider J&K community to ensure that concerns are addressed promptly and confidence is strengthened.

Khuehami urged the Dehradun Police to remain vigilant and maintain regular contact with students from J&K. He suggested organising periodic interaction programmes with J&K students and shawl sellers so that they have direct access to the police administration and feel reassured about their safety and security.

He said such regular engagement would also provide students and their parents with a reliable channel through which they can immediately approach the authorities in case they face any harassment, intimidation, discrimination, threats or other security-related concerns. He emphasised that students should be able to pursue their education in a peaceful environment without feeling insecure because of their regional identity.

The delegation also raised concerns regarding the safety and dignity of shawl sellers and other seasonal workers from Jammu & Kashmir who travel to Uttarakhand for their livelihood. It highlighted reports of incidents over the past several months in which some shawl sellers were allegedly harassed and assaulted by fringe and right-wing elements, creating fear and insecurity among the community. The delegation urged the police administration to take appropriate preventive measures and ensure that they are able to conduct their business peacefully and are not subjected to harassment, intimidation, assault or discrimination.

With the Uttarakhand Assembly elections approaching, the delegation urged the police administration to remain particularly vigilant and ensure that the peaceful environment in the state is not disturbed by any fringe, extremist or disruptive elements. It requested the police to take timely preventive and lawful action against any individual or group attempting to create fear, intimidation or insecurity among students, workers or other residents from J&K.

The association also urged the police to remain alert to attempts to exploit regional, communal or identity-related sentiments for political or social mobilisation. It stressed that the electoral atmosphere should not become a source of insecurity for students and workers who come to Uttarakhand for education and livelihood.

Responding to the concerns raised by Khuehami and the delegation, SP Dehradun Pramod Kumar gave a patient hearing and assured the delegation of continued cooperation. He said that the police administration is committed to ensuring the safety and security of students from J&K as well as shawl sellers and other members of the community residing and working in Dehradun.

New Delhi, Sep 16: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Wednesday said the work of police and the work of the courts form one continuous chain in the administration of justice.

Speaking at the launch of a book written by former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer O P Mishra, titled “Beyond the Uniform: Duty, Discretion and Public Trust”, the CJI said an FIR recorded with care or an investigation conducted with fairness strengthens the possibility of justice being done in court.

Conversely, no court, however conscientious, can fully undo the harm caused when the first steps of the process themselves are compromised, he added.

The CJI also commended police for the smooth conduct of the 18th BRICS Summit and praised the remarkable effort behind the scenes like officers securing routes and venues, coordinating traffic, protecting places of stay and maintaining vigilance through the night.

“The work of the police and the work of the courts form one continuous chain in the administration of justice. The judiciary inherits, quite literally, what the police places before it,” the CJI said.

Former Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar and Sanjaya Baru, who was the adviser to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, also spoke on the occasion.

The CJI said duty for police must mean fidelity not only to the words of the law, but also to the purpose for which the law entrusts power to a police officer.

“The authority to investigate, to arrest, to regulate movement and to maintain public order is neither an ornament of office nor an end in itself. It is ultimately a responsibility held on behalf of the people,” he said.

The CJI said police duty does not commence only when a crime has been committed, a crowd has gathered or an emergency has already arisen.

“It begins much earlier: in preparation, in the gathering of information, in coordination between agencies, in anticipating points of vulnerability and in ensuring that the machinery of law is ready before the moment of need arrives.

“Indeed, some of the finest police work is precisely that which prevents a difficult situation from ever becoming a crisis,” he said.

Justice Kant also said if the society expects police personnel to act at all hours with courage, composure and sensitivity, it must give them the conditions in which those qualities can flourish.

“Proper training, modern investigative resources, responsible leadership, reasonable working conditions and attention to the physical and emotional well-being of personnel are not concerns separate from citizen-friendly policing, but rather its essential foundations,” he said.

New Delhi, Sep 16: India on Wednesday rejected the so-called Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, asserting that it had no legal basis and that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were integral and inalienable parts of the country.

Responding to media queries, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s position on the matter was “clear and consistent” and maintained that there was no boundary between Pakistan and China.

“We reject the so-called Joint Commission, which is without any legal basis,” Jaiswal said.

He said Pakistan had no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its “illegal and forcible occupation”.

Jaiswal reiterated that India had never recognised the so-called 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement and had consistently maintained that it was illegal and invalid.

He said India resolutely opposed any attempt to alter the status of the occupied territories or legitimise what it described as illegal occupation, asserting that such actions impinged on the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Any so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories would be completely unacceptable and would have no bearing whatsoever on India’s sovereignty over these territories,” the spokesperson said.

Calling on Pakistan to vacate the areas under its occupation, Jaiswal said Islamabad should “immediately vacate from areas under its illegal and forcible occupation”.

The statement comes amid reports concerning the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, which India has rejected as lacking legal validity.