Cops search for another politician with terror link

After the arrest of a politician for planning a fidayeen attack on former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, the police are on the lookou...

After the arrest of a politician for planning a fidayeen attack on former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, the police are on the lookout for a another councillor accused of sheltering two top militant commanders. This followed the gunning down of two militants belonging to the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen HuM at the house of Nisar Ahmad Dahl, a Congress municipal councillor.

8216;8216;We have killed Saifullah and Abu Talha,8217;8217; army spokesman Lt Col V K Batra told The Indian Express. 8216;8216;The militants were hiding in the house of a councillor. He is absconding and we are searching for him.8217;8217;

The police allege the Congressman was hand-in-glove with the militants and that his house was used as a hideout by the militants. 8216;8216;He is an OGW Over Ground Worker,8217;8217; claimed a senior police officer. 8216;8216;He was using his status of being a Congress councilor as a cover.8217;8217; The events unfolded on Tuesday evening, when a joint operations group of Special Operations Group SOG of Police and the 44 Rashtriya Rifles RR, on a tip-off, raided Dahl8217;s house. When the militants in the house refused to surrender, a fierce gun battle erupted that lasted for a night. The Army suspended the operation during for the night only to resume it in the morning.

Later, the militants gunned down were identified by the army as Bilal Ahmad Sheikh alias Saifullah and Shabir Ahmad Najar alias Abu Talha. Saifullah, the spokesman said, was the district commander of the HuM, while his accomplice Talha was a battalion commander.

This is the third incident in which a municipal councillor was charged with involvement in militancy. On Friday, the police had arrested a PDP councillor from Srinagar. Abdul Wahid Dar, police said, was a Laskhar-e-Toiba LeT operative and had planned two suicide attacks on Mufti Mohammad Sayeed when he was the chief minister of state. Earlier, the Mumbai Police arrested a National Conference councillor, Arshad Badroo, from Nagpada, allegedly for planning attacks in the metropolitan city.

Bashaarat Masood

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More