TWO DAYS after seven persons were killed in a terror attack at a key tunnel construction site in Gagangir, the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), a unit of the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, Tuesday said it has busted a militant recruitment module in the Valley with the detention of eight youths. The youths, police said, were part of a newly floated militant outfit called the Tehreek Labaik Ya Muslim, which officials claim is an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Senior Superintendent of Police, CIK, Tahir Ashraf Bhatti confirmed the detentions. Police said they conducted simultaneous raids at different locations in seven districts of the Valley after inputs about the recruitment module, said to be run by a Pakistan-based Lashkar commander named Baba Hamas. “On the basis of information and inputs/evidence developed by the CIK, it was found that Baba Hamas, a terrorist handler of LeT, is going to float a new terrorist organisation by the name of Tehreek Labaik Ya Muslim, an offshoot of LeT, in conspiracy with OGWs (overground workers), supporters, facilitators, sympathisers of terrorist organisations operating in Kashmir valley with the active support of Pakistani agencies with the intention to further terrorist activities,” an official statement said. “It was further found that terrorist handler Gazi Hamas is providing seditious material and directions to OGWs, supporters, facilitators, sympathisers through various covert/encrypted social media applications for radicalisation, and luring the youths to join terrorist ranks of the newly floated terrorist organisation,” it said. Police said a case was registered last year in this regard and search warrants were acquired from an NIA court. On Tuesday morning, the police raided 10 places in Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal in central Kashmir, Kulgam, Anantnag and Pulwama in south Kashmir, and Bandipora in north Kashmir. “This newly floated terrorist organisation has claimed a few incidents in the recent past, which include but are not limited to a fire incident in Panchayat Ghar in Seer area of Pulwama and another fire in a remote village of Doda (though not corroborated on ground). This outfit also remained involved in pasting of posters at various locations in south and central Kashmir and on internet-based social media platforms,” the statement said. “This was aimed at glorifying terrorism and radicalising the youth to join this new terror outfit.” Police said its investigation is aimed at “dismantling the terror ecosystem in the Union Territory”.
