Sandeep a welder-turned-LeT militant

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 10

Sandeep Kumar Sharma in his twenties is possibly the first Hindu militant from outside state to be booked by the J&K Police for being part of the Lashkar-e-Toiba group.

Investigations by the J&K Police have revealed that Sandeep, alias Adil, of Muzaffarnagar tehsil in Uttar Pardesh, was a welder and first came to the Valley in 2012. Since then, he had been working as a welder in south Kashmir during summer.

“During winter, he would go to Patiala for employment. While working in Punjab, he came in contact with Shahid Ahmed, a resident of Kulgam, who was also working in Punjab. This year, he along with some of his Kashmir-based associates came from Patiala to Kashmir to loot ATMs and carry out other robberies in south Kashmir,” Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan said in Srinagar.

“After coming from Punjab, Sandeep along with Shahid, Muneeb Shah and Muzaffar Shah (whom he met in Patiala) started living in rented accommodation at Wanpoh in Kulgam for carrying out the robberies. They later met hardcore terrorist Shakoor Ahmad Dar of the Lashkar. The meeting with Shakoor was arranged by Muneeb and his associates and that was the beginning of Sandeep’s criminal activities. The militant utilised the services of Sandeep for looting ATMs. Four ATMs were looted and the booty was shared with Lashkar militants,” the IGP said.

“Thereafter Sandeep became a hardcore terrorist and participated in at least three militant actions.”

Sandeep was nabbed from the same house where Lashkar commander Bashir Lashkari was killed earlier this month. There have been few instances in the past where Hindus from far-flung areas of Rajouri, Reasi and Doda districts of the Jammu region have joined militant ranks, mainly of the Hizbul Mujahideen. Muslim militants from outside the state have also been killed in Kashmir in the over two-decade-long militancy.