‘Untold Kashmir Files’, a short clip by J&K Police

The video was posted on J&K Police’s official Twitter account on March 31. Incidentally, on April 4, the Valley witnessed a fresh spurt in attacks on migrants and Kashmiri Pandits.

“The Kashmir Files” focuses on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits but many here feel that the film completely ignores the suffering of Kashmiri Muslims due to terrorism in the Valley, the officer said.

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— J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) March 31, 2022

The J&K Police clip starts with a shot of women mourning with text referring to the killing by suspected militants on March 27 of a Special Police Officer (SPO) and his twin brother in the Valley. “Miltants barged in the house of SPO Ishfaq Ahmed and killed him along with his brother Umer Jan,” reads the text, along with photos of the two victims.

Framed over images of mourners, the text reads: “Kashmir has lost 20,000 lives to these targeted killings. It’s time we speak up.” In the background, the audio includes Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s “Hum Dekhenge”, an iconic poem that was also used in “The Kashmir Files”.

Released on March 11, “The Kashmir Files”, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, was endorsed by a number of Union Ministers and granted tax-free status in most all BJP-ruled states, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that it has rattled the “entire ecosystem” that claims to be the torchbearer of freedom of expression but does not want the truth to be told.

The movie also triggered concerns over communal polarisation. After its release, the police in Delhi were asked to ensure adequate security arrangements in areas with “mixed population”.

“The issue is the film is being used to push a particular narrative. But that is causing problems here. Everyone here watches national TV channels…With Pakistan relatively on a leash due to the threat of FATF sanctions, this was the right time to apply balm to the wounds and usher in peace,” another J&K Police officer said.

In Delhi, the central security establishment is worried over the recent surge in attacks on migrants and Kashmiri Pandits.

On Monday evening, suspected militants fired at a Kashmiri Pandit in South Kashmir’s Shopian, leaving him seriously injured. The firing followed two other attacks during the day in the Valley that left a CRPF personnel dead and three people injured, including two migrant workers.

The attack on migrant labourers was the second in two days and the fourth in a fortnight — all of them in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. In all, six migrant workers, one Kashmiri Pandit, two other civilians and a CRPF personnel have been shot at by militants in the past fortnight.

Sources said initial inputs suggest the attackers are “local untrained militants”. “These are basically overground workers doubling up as part-time militants. That is why they are missing their targets. A general sentiment of anger has built up and terror groups are using it instigate locals to mount attacks,” another officer said.

Apart from conducting operations to nab culprits, sources said, the police is also reaching out to the local community and holding regular conversations to calm the polarised atmosphere.

Sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed J&K Police to take all possible measures to protect civilians and apprehend the culprits. Last week, the MHA sent Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director, Tapan Deka, to take stock of the situation in the Valley.

Sources also said that the attacks appear to be the handiwork of sleeper cells of The Resistance Force (TRF), an affiliate of the LeT, and elements from JeM.

“Though we had cracked down severely on these networks last year and neutralised many modules, they seem to have recruited new boys. It is a bit difficult to track them as they are actually regular civilians with regular jobs, but dabble part-time in terrorism. But we have some leads and this module, too, will be neutralised soon,” an officer said.

In September last year, security agencies had come across a social media post by TRF that discussed a “strategy” to target “non locals”, and criticised the Government’s policy of letting “outsiders” take up land and jobs in Kashmir.

Last week, the Government informed Parliament that 34 non-residents have bought land in J&K, including in the Valley.