Massive searches in J-K over militant threat to journalists

PTI

Srinagar, November 19

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday conducted massive searches at 12 locations in connection with threatening of journalists by terror outfit The Resistance Front, officials said.    

The searches were conducted in Srinagar, Anantnag and Kulgam districts of the Valley.

The premises where the searches were conducted included residences of several journalists as well as some suspects, they said, adding that some suspects are being questioned.

The police had on November 12 filed a case against militants and handlers belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow organisation of LeT, for sending threat letters to journalists in Kashmir.

“Police today conducted simultaneous searches at 12 locations in connection with the recent threat issued to journalists of the Valley,” the officials said.

They said the houses of fugitives like Sajjad Gul, Mukhtar Baba, all terrorists of LeT/TRF and other suspects were raided in Srinagar, Anantnag and Kulgam districts early morning. 

Baba -- a Turkey-based terror operative -- and six of his contacts in Jammu and Kashmir are suspected to be behind the threats.

The officials said police teams have seized mobile phones, laptops, memory cards, pen drives and other digital devices, documents, bank papers, rubber stamps, passports, papers, cash and some Saudi currency.  

Each search team, comprising four to five members, was led by an inspector/sub-inspector rank officer monitored by the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) concerned, the officials said.

The raids were supervised by SP (South city) Lakshya Sharma, they added.

Consequent to the searches, some suspects have been brought for examination and questioning, the officials said.

A case under section 13 of UAPA, and sections 124A, 153B, 505 and 506 of IPC has already been registered at Shergari police station here against handlers, active terrorists and OGWs (over ground workers) of LeT and TRF for online publication and dissemination of direct threat letters to journalists and reporters based in Kashmir. 

The TRF had issued the threat to a few media houses in the Valley for their "traitorous acts" and "nexus with the fascist Indian regime".

Following the threat, several journalists had resigned from local publications.

Baba (55) used to work for various newspapers in Kashmir. He was a resident of Srinagar in the 1990s and is believed to have escaped to Turkey, an intelligence dossier said.

Baba, who often visits Pakistan, has emerged as a mastermind responsible for grooming youngsters in the Valley to join the TRF, the dossier said.

Baba has built a network of informers in the journalist community and used their inputs to prepare a list of scribes to threaten, it said.

Investigation in the case is in full swing and general public is requested to bring to notice of the Srinagar police any information that is relevant to this case, the officials added. 

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