A day after a policeman was shot dead by terrorists in Anantnag, security forces demolished the houses of two active Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists and launched a massive crackdown across Kashmir, detaining hundreds of suspected overground workers (OGWs), even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti questioned the legality and effectiveness of the measures.
(ANI Video Grab)
A day after a policeman was shot dead by terrorists in Anantnag, security forces demolished the houses of two active Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists and launched a massive crackdown across Kashmir, detaining hundreds of suspected overground workers (OGWs), even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti questioned the legality and effectiveness of the measures.
The overnight operations targeted the residences of active terrorists Adil Ahmad Thokar and Haroon Rashid in Hasanpora and Bijbehara in south Kashmir, with officials describing the action as part of an intelligence-driven offensive to dismantle the terror ecosystem following Wednesday’s attack that killed Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi in Anantnag.
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Reports said that explosives were detonated to demolish these houses. The blast caused damage to nearby houses. This is the second time the Thokar family’s house has been demolished, the first time after the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year. The family had constructed a new house and shifted there only a few months ago.
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In a separate operation, the house of another LeT terrorist, Haroon Rashid, was also demolished. Both Adil and Haroon have been active terrorists since 2018.
Security agencies also launched widespread raids and detained nearly 2500 suspected Over Ground Workers (OGWs) for questioning. Srinagar district alone saw around 700 detentions, while other districts such as Baramulla, Budgam, Shopian and Ganderbal also reported significant numbers.
Reacting to the police action, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said terrorism cannot be ended through house demolitions or mass detentions alone, stressing that public support is essential to restore lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
He cautioned: “I understand the anguish of the police, but the Supreme Court has issued an order stating that summary action of this kind should not be taken. We witnessed a similar situation after the Pahalgam attack, and at that time, I had to speak to the Central government to stop this.”
He also spoke out against detention of hundreds of individuals in the Valley, stating that this “will not help improve the situation in J&K but in turn strain it further.”
“This cycle will not end without taking the people along. To some extent, we may reach that point by use of Police, Army and the CRPF but its true end will come when people rise against this violence, like after Pahalgam last year,” Omar said.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also criticised the detentions, stating that while the killing of a police officer in the line of duty is “a heinous and condemnable act,” detaining over a thousand people and demolishing the homes of families of two alleged terrorists amounts to “collective punishment that has no place in a democracy.”
Asking authorities to relook at the matter, Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone said, “The actions of J&K Police after yesterday’s dastardly attack will do more harm.”
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