A Jammu and Kashmir police officers expressed their anger on social media. (Source: PTI)

Reacting to the death of police officer Feroz Ahmad Dar, who along with five of his colleagues was killed in a militant attack at Achabal in south Kashmir on Friday, many cops in Jammu and Kashmir have expressed their concern over the kind of treatment that is given to them, reported The Indian Express. A section of officers took to micro-blogging site Twitter and expressed their disappointment that none of the politicians came and showed their respect towards their colleagues who have died in militant encounters.

“We are fighting the dirty war of these politicians. We are the ones who on the ground face the consequences of their (politicians’) ill-conceived decisions. We stand by them in their worst times,” a police officer posted in south Kashmir on condition of anonymity said. “But when it is time for them to stand with us, they simply vanish,” he added. The anger amongst cops is more because they believe that they don’t get “equal respect” from politicians and the media as the Army and paramilitary personnel in the Valley.

“If a soldier is killed, our politicians, even Chief Ministers, attend the wreath laying ceremony. From New Delhi to Srinagar, everyone pays homage to them. For television channels, they are the bravehearts,” said a policeman posted in Srinagar. “But when any of our colleague falls, there is no word from anywhere. Even the local politicians stay away,” he added.

A few more police officers expressed their anger on social media. “Those who enjoy #JKpolice protection/help and fail to side with them at the time of grief are hypocrites with dead conscience,” tweeted Tahir Ashraf, a Superintendent of Police rank officer posted as Staff Officer to an Inspector-General of Police (IGP). In another tweet, Ashraf asked: “Fine, but what the government is going to do for martyrs? Why shouldn’t state give at least Rs 1 crore to each family? Are we fighting for ourselves or the state?”