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, “who was earlier a journalist and was running an online news portal ‘Valley News Service’ in Anantnag”.
“Bhatjoined 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 asHilal Ahamad Rah from Anantnag’s Bijbehara. “Rah was a ‘C’ category terrorist,” the police said.
CDI’s appeal
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.Itwill 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.
An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Rainawari area of Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital around midnight following a cordon and search operation in the old city, a police official said.
He said two militants were killed in the brief gunbattle
Inspector General of Police Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar said one of the slain militants was carrying a 'press card'.
"One of the killed categorised local #terrorists of proscribed #terror outfit LeT was carrying Identity Card (ID) of media. It indicates a clear case of misuse of media," Mr. Kumar tweeted.
According to the card, Rayees Ahmad Bhat, the slain ultra, was the Editor in Chief of Valley Media Service, an unknown news gathering agency.
