State govt on Jammu incidents: ‘Temple sacrilege a form of intelligent terrorism’

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“In a (usual) terror attack, the terrorist starts his journey from Pakistan and crosses the border into Indian territory. When he comes across a police station or any such thing, he opens fire, killing four or five people,’’ Singh said in apparent reference to the terror strikes at Hiranagar, Samba and Udhampur districts. “He is considered successful if he kills four or five people,” he added.

“However, in this form of terrorist attack (intelligent terror), he need not cross the border, nor carry a gun. He only has to exploit someone’s poverty, drug addiction or some other weakness through the internet or another mode of communication and instruct one to attack a temple. Once he does that, militants get created on their own for the rest of the job,” the DC said. “…Then I think it is a form of intelligent terrorism,” he added.

Singh was apparently referring to Tuesday’s violence and arson, that followed the alleged desecration of a temple in Janipura area by a “mentally unsound” youth from Doda. The crowd protesting the “sacrilege” torched vehicles, and about a dozen people were injured. On Thursday, a suspended police constable allegedly kicked the Shiva idol at Nanak Nagar temple and was overheard telling someone on his cellphone, “I have done the task. Now deposit money in my account.” Singh was detained under the Public Safety Act. The police and locals said he was a drug addict.

Earlier, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal told The Indian Express that the incidents were part of a “big and well-planned conspiracy’’ to create disturbance ahead of the Amarnath yatra, which begins next month.

The man who was accused of “desecration” in Nanak Nagar “was in communication with someone on the mobile phone. We are trying to find out who that person was,’’ Kotwal added.

Apparently referring to the terror attacks on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, Hiranagar and Samba, Kotwal said, “They earlier tried other methods by indulging in killings, etc, here and there but did not succeed. Now they find that this thing (incidents of sacrilege) is an easier method to trigger tension by creating a communal divide.”

He added, “Through such incidents, they appear to be trying to build up the tempo ahead of the Amarnath yatra. After the first, second and then third incident, others will follow.”