Forces again ask local ultras to surrender

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 16

Security forces in Kashmir on Monday made a renewed offer of surrender to local militants even as three local militants were arrested in the past few days.

“We again appeal to local militants to surrender and live a normal life,” Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan said at a press conference in Srinagar.

He said they would fully support the local militants who surrendered before the security forces, even during gunfights.

“Even if they surrender during encounters with the security forces, we are ready to accept such surrenders,” Khan said.

Senior security officers had last month also made a joint appeal to local militants to surrender. The CRPF IG (Operations), Zulfikar Hassan, who was present during the media briefing, said they were appealing to local militants to not come under the influence of foreign militants.

Khan said three militants, including two from the Lashkar-e-Toiba and one from Hizbul Mujahideen, were arrested in the past three days from south Kashmir. The three militants were today presented before the media.

The IGP said the two Lashkar militants Khur sheed Ahmed Dar and Haziq Rather who tried to snatch weapons from the guards of a protected person in Qazigund, Kulgam, were arrested on October 14 in a joint operation.

Khan said overground worker Rameez Yatoo, who helped militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen carry out the attack on a police vehicle at Damhal Hanji Pora in Kulgam, was also arrested.

“Yatoo works in a medical agency in Kulgam. Arms and ammunition were recovered from his home,” the IGP said.

On the mysterious braid-chopping incidents in Kashmir, the IGP said they had begun scientific investigation in such cases.

“There is no cooperation from the victims or from their families. We have started scientific examination of the cases,” Khan said while ruling out the need for lie-detector test of the victims.

Khan said SSPs and SHOs had been instructed to collect the samples of blood to know about the chemical used for making the victims unconscious.

Inputs on Musa

• IGP, Kashmir, Muneer Khan said the police were analysing the input that radical militant Zakir Musa had held a meeting with a group of foreign Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in Budgam district who had infiltrated recently into the Valley
• “We are verifying the inputs about the meeting,” Khan said
• On braid-chopping incidents in Kashmir, the IGP said they had begun scientific investigation in such cases