Four top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists arrested for Kishtwar terror acts

Intensifying crackdown on militants involved in four major terror acts in Kishtwar, police today achieved breakthrough when it arrested four more top militants during raids conducted at different places, taking total arrests to 16 even as the police personnel continued hunt for dozen more ultras, who were still at large.

In one of the biggest search operation ever launched in Kishtwar district with a view to thwart the Hizbul Mujahideen plot to further step-up militant activities, police today arrested four more militants of the outfit during raids in the town and outskirts, police sources said.

They identified the arrested militants as Manzoor Ahmed Ganie alias Qari son of Mushtaq Ahmed Ganie, a resident of Bunstan, Kishtwar, Noor Mohammad Malik alias Fayaz son of Abdul Razzak Malik R/o Phagsoo, Thathri in Doda district, Farooq Ahmed Bhat son of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat R/o Lower Pocchal, Kishtwar and Masood Mattoo R/o Kishtwar.

All of them have been booked under FIR No. 232 registered at Kishtwar police station under Sections 13, 18, 19, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. With four more arrests made today, total number of militants arrested during 10-day long crackdown have gone up to 16 even as police continued hunt for about dozen more.

“Arrested militants were involved in aiding and abetting militancy during past 11 months or less,” they said, adding all of them were being quizzed and some more arrests were on the cards in next few days.

Police have identified nearly dozen more militants and their harbourers and were conducting searches for them at different places. Meanwhile, with all four major terror strikes in Kishtwar during past 11 months having been carried out by same group of militants and ever increasing involvement of local politicians, businessmen and others in aiding and abetting militancy, the Government is considering handing over of remaining terror cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for single probe in all the cases.

Apart from the killing of three militants, police have so far arrested 16 others for terror activities in Kishtwar which had resumed with the killing of senior BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar outside their house on November 1, 2018. Dozen other local militants have been identified by the police, who were involved in the terror activities and had gone underground following police crackdown.

Reliable sources told the Excelsior that during investigations police got leads that the killings of Parihar brothers, senior RSS functionary Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO Rajinder Singh and two weapon snatching incidents from the PSOs of the Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar and PDP district president, had been executed by one group of militants though different faces might have carried out the attacks.

“All militants killed, arrested or still underground for their involvement in four major terror activities and attempts to revive/intensify militancy in Kishtwar district, were part of one group of Hizbul Mujahideen and had worked very closely with each other while executing the killings and weapon snatching incidents,” sources said.

Before their killings or arrest, the militants were constantly in touch with each other and were planning more terror activities in Kishtwar district. However, with police crackdown on the militants, their plot for fresh terror activities in the district has been foiled, they added.
It may be mentioned here that an NIA team is already in Kishtwar investigating the killing of Parihar brothers.

Police authorities were of the view that the NIA enjoyed vast powers and would be available to attach property of the accused made through the terror funding which would act as deterrent for others.

The NIA has its full-fledged office in Jammu. In addition to Parihar brothers’ killing, the NIA is also investigating Pulwama terror attack on February 14 in which 44 CRPF personnel were martyred and failed Pulwama-like militant strike at Banihal on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on March 30 this year.

Source: Daily Excesior