Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, one of whom carrying a media identity card, were killed in a midnight anti-militancy operation of the security forces in Srinagar’s Rainawari area on Wednesday.
“Two terrorists were killed [in the operation]. Incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, were recovered. One of the killed was a categorised local terrorists of the LeT and was carrying an identity card of media. It indicates a clear case of misuse of media,” Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said.
The duo was encircled by a joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir police and the CRPF in Rainawari area and were killed “in a brief shoot out”.
Mr. Kumar identified one of the slain militants as Rayees Ahamad Bhat from Bijbehara, “who was earlier a journalist and was running an online news portal ‘Valley News Service’ in Anantnag”.
“Bhat joined terrorist ranks in August 2021 and was categorised as ‘C’ in our list. Two FIRs are already registered against him for terror crimes,” the police said.
The second slain militant was identified as Hilal Ahamad Rah from Anantnag’s Bijbehara. “Rah was a ‘C’ category terrorist,” the police said.
"The slain [militants] were tasked with attacking soft targets in the city," IGP Kumar said.
He said the number of terrorists operating in Kashmir Valley had fallen compared to the last many years. "We are intensifying the operations to make the Valley terror-free. The J&K police are trying hard to bring the misguided youth who have joined terrorist ranks back to their normal life with the help of their family members and respectable citizens," IGP Kumar said.
The IGP said a few journalists were misusing the media spreading fake news and resorting to anti-national activities. “Though their number is very less, I urge them to refrain from doing it,” he said.
Police also said they have identified a woman, who was caught on a CCTV camera in north Kashmir's Sopore throwing a petrol pump at a CRPF camp on Tuesday. "We have identified the lady. She will be arrested soon," IGP Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the J&K police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) wing has asked locals to use its portal to “inform about criminal, unlawful or suspicious activities in their neighbourhood”.
“The portal also allows the citizens to share information anonymously. It will enable citizens to report instances and information about criminal, unlawful or suspicious activities in their neighborhood. The portal, managed end-to-end by the CID, is a key initiative towards prevention of crime and strengthening the peace and security in Jammu & Kashmir,” an official said.
The official said the CID was recording every single instance of threat or intimidation to any person directly or indirectly through telephone call, WhatsApp message, email or social media or poster or web portal or any other mode.
“Citizens are invited to report any intimidation preferably with details such as date and time of telephone call vide which threat was conveyed, telephone number including virtual number used by criminal, application used etc. It is also helpful if the voice or conversation of the criminal is recorded which CID will obtain separately to compare it with the voice library to identify the criminal,” the official said.
