MHA to review situation, security beefed up in J&K

In the backdrop of recent killing of security personnel and targeted killing of panchayat representatives, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, the security has been strengthened across the Union Territory and police claimed to arrested militants involved in recent killing of solider.

A CRPF jawan Mukthar Ahmad, who was home on leave, was killed by terrorists in Shopian district on Sunday which was the fourth such attack on security personnel in the last three days. Ahmad succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital.

Shabir Ahmad Mir, a sarpanch, was shot dead by terrorists in Kulgam on Friday, while the sarpanch of Khanmoh Bashir Ahmad Bhat was killed two days prior on the outskirts of Srinagar.

On March 7, two civilians were killed and at least 35 people, including a police official, were injured in a grenade attack Amira Kadal, a busy Sunday Street market in Srinagar.

Security has been heightened across the union territory, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, while drones are also being used monitor forest areas. The sources said that the terrorists have been hiding in the forests after conducting the attacks.

Intelligence agencies have identified “some locations” near Srinagar and Baramula district and a coordinated operation against these terrorists have already been planned in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operation Group (SOG).

According to the messages intercepted by the intelligence agencies, Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) are “annoyed” with the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir for not doing “something big” and forcing them to execute a major terror attack on the security forces.

Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered a cache of weapons possibly dropped from a drone along the International Border in RS Pura sector. A massive search operation was carried by the SOG.

The cache of weapons comprised two magazines, 70 cartridges, one pistol, three detonators, three remote-controlled IEDs, three bottles of explosives, a bundle of cortex wire, two timer IEDs and six grenades.
Moreover, within hours of the killing of a CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, police arrested the assailant and recovered the weapon of offence on Sunday.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said an over ground worker (OGW) or a terrorist associate has also been arrested in connection with the case.

“We have arrested #killer of CRPF personnel. #Weapon of #offence (pistol) recovered on his disclosure. 01 OGW who accompanied him during #terror crime also arrested,” the IGP said in a tweet.
He said the crime was committed on the directions of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abid Ramzan Sheikh.
In a statement later, a police spokesperson identified the alleged assailant as Rukhsar Sadiq Thoker, a resident of Rangmarg-Sedow and an active terrorist.

The weapon of offence — a pistol — was also seized from his possession.

“During the course of investigation, he (Thoker) disclosed the identity of another terrorist associate who facilitated him in the commission of the crime. He (the terrorist associate) has been identified as Amir Ahmad

Dewan, a resident of Bohrihallan in Shopian, who too was arrested and on his disclosure, a motorcycle used in the commission of the crime was recovered,” the spokesperson said.

During further questioning, Thoker confessed that he is a close associate of Sheikh, the self-styled commander of the LeT and a hybrid terrorist of the said organisation.

“Furthermore, he revealed that he, along with his associate, had committed the crime on Sheikh’s directions in order to create an atmosphere of terror in the area,” the spokesperson said.
Investigation in the case is going on and further leads are expected, he added.

Meanwhile, police also claimed to have arrested four active associates of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) in Pulwama, officials said.

Police said that four active associates of JeM, who were actively participating with the outfit and providing them with logistics, transportation and other facilities for commissioning of militant acts in the district, were arrested in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

“Four active associates of JeM arrested by Pulwama Police who were actively associated with the JeM outfit providing them logistic, transportation & other facilities for commission of militant acts,” police said in a tweet.