Police Step Up Anti-Militancy Operations Across Kashmir After Delhi Blasts

A single-storey white-washed house in the Koil area of South Kashmir's Pulwama was raided within hours of the Delhi blast on Monday that killed at least thirteen people and injured several others. The searches continued at the house of Dr Umer-un-Nabi, 34, for several hours before his parents were questioned and their DNA samples were subsequently taken to match the mortal remains of their son, who is suspected to have been driving the explosive-laden car involved in the Delhi blasts.

The Delhi blast came on the same day Jammu and Kashmir police said that they have busted a network of al-Qaeda affiliate, Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit, and made a recovery of 2900 kg of IED-making material, besides some arms and ammunition. Police said that the IED-making material included "explosives, chemicals, reagents, inflammable material, electronic circuits, batteries, wires, remote control, timers, and metal sheets in the searches that were carried out both within Jammu and Kashmir and outside the Union Territory (UT) in Faridabad in Haryana and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP)."

According to police, they have been investigating the case of threats being issued to several police and other security forces personnel through the JeM posters, which were found pasted at different locations in the Bunpora area of Nowgam in Srinagar, and the wider probe helped them recover the explosives.

Umer’s father, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, says that several teams of police and other security force personnel raided their house before he and his wife were taken away for DNA sampling to identify the body of their deceased son. He, however, denied claims of his involvement in the car blast, saying his son was a very hard-working doctor who, after completing his MBBS degree from GMC Srinagar,  went on to work at Al-Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad. According to other family members, security forces have detained Umer’s sister and brother-in-law in Srinagar's Hawal area in connection with the case; besides his other brother, Ashiq Hussain Bhat, 35, who works as a plumber, has also been questioned in the case. Bhat described his son as a hard-working student who had done his schooling at government educational institutions, including the Degree College Pulwama, before he bagged a seat at GMC Srinagar in a fiercely competitive exam.

The family house at Koil teemed with relatives, with some having come from several parts of Kashmir, who, however, expressed disbelief over the claims of Umer's involvement in the Delhi blasts. “ I was myself a teacher, my other son has done a Master's, and another one is very focused on his education. I can’t believe that Umer is involved in the blasts,” says Bhat.

Jammu and Kashmir police have, however, named another doctor, Muzamil Shakeel, who lives in the closer vicinity of Umer’s house and six other people, including a cleric of neighboring Shopian district, in the explosive recovery case. Police have said that the seven people, including Muzamil, were raising  “funds, arranging logistics," and were involved in the "procurement of arms and ammunition and material for preparing IEDs.”

A police spokesperson says, “The group has been using encrypted channels for indoctrination, coordination, fund movement, and logistics. Funds were raised through professional and academic networks, under the guise of social and charitable causes.”

Police have also said that the “accused were found involved in identifying persons, to radicalise, initiate and recruit them” into militant ranks. Besides the recovery of 2900 kg of IED making material, police claimed to have recovered 1 AK-56 rifle along with ammunition and 1 AK Krinkov rifle and ammunition, besides two pistols.

Besides Muzamil, the other people who have been arrested have been identified as Arif Nisar Dar ,  Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar, all residents of the Nowgam area of Srinagar, besides Molvi Irfan Ahmad of Shopian,  Zameer Ahmad Ahanger of  Wakura, Ganderbal, and  Dr  Adeel of  Kulgam.

However, Muzamil’s sister, Asmat Shakeel, says that her brother had no hand in the Delhi blast, and he was arrested in the month of October, due to which she couldn’t solemnize the marriage. “ I used to discuss the shopping plans for my marriage with my brother, who was working at Al-Falah University, before we came to know about his arrest,” says Asmat,  who is herself a doctor and has  done MBBS from Bangladesh.

“ My brother was a very hard-working doctor who was earlier doing practice at SKIMS Soura before taking  up the job at Al-Falah University,” she says.  Asmat  adds that the police have seized the phone and laptop of her brother, Azad Shakeel, 19.  “ Our family members were also questioned about our property and other assets,” she says. The family members say that they are into apple farming, and their annual apple harvest is several hundred cartons.

Following the Delhi blasts, however, police have stepped up the searches as part of the anti-militancy operations. While the frisking and vehicle searches have been increased across Kashmir, police also carried out raids at several places. In the  Srinagar district, raids were conducted at 150 places  of militant associates and the overground workers (OGWs) affiliated with militant  organisations in connection with ongoing investigations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Police also stepped up action against the members of the banned organisation Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), carrying  out raids at multiple locations across  Kashmir.  According to police, searches were conducted at the residential premises and “other locations linked to JeI members and their associates as part of the ongoing efforts to” dismantle the militant ecosystem and its support structures.  “During the operations, incriminating materials were recovered. Several individuals associated with JeI were also questioned and subsequently bound down under the relevant provisions of law,” police said.