Kashmir’s militant-free Budgam emerges as terror hub in 2022
Until last year, the Central Kashmir district of Budgam enjoyed the reputation and distinction of being the valley’s only militant-free zone. With as many as seven selective killings in the last three months, it is now snatching away a dubious distinction from southern Kashmir’s Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam besides the contiguous summer capital of Srinagar.
While three of the four southern Kashmir districts are retaining the notoriety of being the valley’s terror havens without break since 1999, Srinagar has witnessed around 24 terror attacks, encounters and incidents of target killings in the last two years. Some merciless killings in October 2021—including that of the famous Pandit chemist Makhan Lal Bindroo, Sikh lady teacher Supinder Kaur and a reserved category teacher Deepak Chand—spread a wave of fear ahead of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel killed in such pistol attacks from behind included one Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department and a young Probationary Sub Inspector. In the latest strike, two CRPF jawans were killed in a broad daylight attack from AK-47 rifles at Maisuma on 4 April. A week later, J&K Police and CRPF claimed to have killed both the assailants—both Pakistani cadres of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba—in an encounter at Bishamber Nagar.
No major militancy-related incident had taken place in Budgam district in the last 15-20 years, even as sporadic incidents like a BJP worker’s killing at Ompora, near Budgam Train Station, continued intermittently.
The first incident of terror killing this year occurred on 8 March when a Territorial Army soldier Sameer Ahmad Malla, who had returned from Jammu with his wife after her delivery, was kidnapped, killed and buried at a deserted place in his residential area of Khag. Three days later, his dead body was recovered from a pit. Malla was alleged to have been a driver with Army’s Major Gogoi when the latter got entangled in two controversies including taking a minor girl to a Srinagar hotel in objectionable circumstances.
Previously, chairman of Block Development Council Khag, Bhupinder Singh, was shot dead by terrorists in the same area of Khag, in upper Budgam, on 23 September 2020. Teacher Supinder Kaur was also a resident of Budgam district but she was killed in Srinagar.
Unidentified terrorists, who according to official sources were associates of the dreaded LeT commander Yusuf Kantroo, appeared at Gotapora, near Soibug, and shot dead a civilian youth, Tajamul Mohiuddin Rather, at his home on 21 March. Rather had reportedly associated himself with the local camps of the Army and helped them openly in some counterinsurgency operations, though he had not been formally engaged for such duties.
Five days later, on 26 March 2022, reportedly the same group of terrorists appeared at Chattabug, 2 km from Gotapora, and shot dead Special Police Officer Ashfaq Ahmad along with his brother Umar Jan. The twin murder evoked a huge response as thousands of the residents gathered, paid tributes to the slain duo, stood in solidarity with the traumatized family and condemned the brazen act of act.
Even as the Police and security forces killed Kantroo, one of the valley’s longest surviving militants who had reportedly escaped from 10 cordon-and-search operations, along with a fresh recruit, at Malwah, bordering Budgam and Baramulla districts in a fierce encounter on 21 April, targeted killings continued in the district.
After Kantroo’s death in the encounter, the focus shifted to Chadoora Tehsil. Police and security forces claimed that two local militants, Lateef Rather and AquibShergujri, had revived LeT’s network in Chadoora-Pulwama belt. The first killing in that area this year happened on 12 May when Rahul Bhat, a displaced Kashmiri Pandit employed under Prime Minister’s special rehabilitation package in 2010, was gunned down at his Tehsil office at Chadoora.
On 25 May, unidentified terrorists barged into the residence of the famous TV artist, YouTuber, singer and Vlogger Amreen Bhat (36) at Hushroo, Chadoora, and shot her dead. A day later, Police and security forces claimed to have killed “both of her killers” in an encounter near Awantipora.
On 2 June, two masked terrorists appeared at a brick kiln at Magraypora, Chadoora, and shot dead a Bihari worker Dikkhush while another non-local worker was left injured in the pistol attack.
