Security forces arrested 135 over ground workers in Kashmir this year, say officials

Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, June 7 

Security forces in the Kashmir valley have arrested 135 over ground workers (OGWs)—who were involved in providing logistic support and facilitating militant activities—in 2020 so far, officials said on Monday.

A majority of the detained OGWs were working for militants associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e- Mohammad.

Inspector-General of Police, Vijay Kumar, said that apart from arresting 135 OGWs, more than 100 such workers had been identified and would be picked up soon.

“The OGWs keep on changing and we have identified 125 of them who will be picked up shortly,” Kumar said.

Also read: 22 militants killed in J&K in two weeks

The hardcore OGWs will be booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) – which allows detention without trial for a year.

“The ‘A category’ OGW will be booked under the PSA. Similarly the ‘B category’ will be arrested and the parents of the ‘C category’ will be called and counselled and later released,” Kumar said.

According to the police, 84 militants, including 53 during the COVID lockdown, have been killed in 2020.

A police official in south Kashmir said every militant had at least five to seven OGWs, who “act as their eyes and ears”.

“They are the backbone of militancy and we are aware of it. We are going the whole hog against them to dismantle the militant infrastructure in Kashmir,” he said.

The officer said in March, the National Investigation Agency had got a breakthrough in last year’s Pulwama bombing that had left 40 CRPF men dead, when it arrested an OGW who had allegedly assisted suicide bomber Adil Dar and carried out a recce.