New Delhi: In light of the spike in militant activity in Jammu and Kashmir and after the death of three civilians in Poonch, allegedly after torture in Army custody, retired Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda has said that the Army needs to build back its relations with the Gujjars-Bakharwal community, calling them the “eyes and ears” of the forces.The Army veteran told the New Indian Express that a disconnect seems to have developed between the civilians – the tribal Gujjars-Bakharwals – and the Army because of which there is a lack of ground intelligence on infiltration of foreign terrorists.Retired Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda. Photo: Ministry of Defence“Gujjar-Bakharwals are nomads and have traditionally supported the Indian Army and have been one of the biggest reasons behind the roll back of insurgency from Jammu,” Hooda said. Rukhsana Kausar KC, a young Gujjar woman from Upper Kalsi, had shot down a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant in Rajouri district in 2009, the paper reported.“There seems to be some laxity in procedures, which may have developed during the long militancy-free period (Poonch, Rajouri were declared militancy free by the Jammu and Kashmir police in 2011). How much did we lose out on the local connect when nothing was happening?” the Army veteran asked.Throughout the year, these nomadic communities move along with their herds of sheep between the Kashmir Valley and Poonch, Rajouri in Pir Panjal belt and carry very useful information. “There is an urgent need to build back the old connection with the community,” Hooda said.He also said that the Army needs to review the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on counter insurgency operations in Poonch and Rajouri areas. “There are stringent counter insurgency SOPs. Besides revamping ground intelligence, and investing in sources and assets who give us actionable intelligence, the Army needs to review the SOPs on movement of troops, whether they need additional troops in the region along with better protected bullet-proof vehicles,” Hooda said.Also read: J&K: Families Affected by ‘Fake Encounters’ View Poonch Civilian Deaths with Doubts and DespairWhile militancy-related violence and local recruitment had gone down significantly in Kashmir Valley, militants seem to have shifted the focus seemingly towards Jammu which was a militancy-free region before August 5, 2019 when Article 370 was read down.On December 21, an ambush by terrorists at Dhatyar Morh in the Surankote area of Poonch resulted in the death of four soldiers and injuries to three others. Following the attack, three people from the Gujjar community, who were picked up by the Army died in custody, leading to anger within the community. A video clip showing uniformed soldiers from 48 Rashtriya Rifles torturing the men also surfaced on social media. Mobile internet was shut down after the incident, the report said.In an attempt to mitigate the community’s unrest, on December 24, the Army removed the brigade commander and three other officers of 13 Rashtriya Rifles. The Jammu and Kashmir police also registered an FIR against unknown persons under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for murder.On December 27, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, visited the Poonch sector to review the situation. During their visit, they also met with the families of the three deceased civilians and assuring them of speedy justice.