The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday filed an FIR and started an investigation after life-size posters of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared in Old Srinagar area on Friday.
Sources told Deccan Herald that though nobody has been detained, the “unusual development” has prompted police to register an FIR. They said FIR No 60/2015 under section 13 of Unlawful Activities Act has been registered at Police Station Nowhatta. Baghdadi’s posters appeared in Nowhatta locality after Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid.
Witnesses said around a dozen masked youth, assembled atop an under construction facilitation centre in the locality, where life-size poster of the terror outfit chief was pasted on the brick wall. Baghdadi’s posters were reportedly spotted at least at two places in the locality with tag: “Abu-Bakar Baghdadi Welcome to Kashmir.”
Though for the past several months IS flags were frequently waved in the area, particularly after Friday prayers, it is for the first time that Baghdadi’s posters appeared. Till now police often insisted that it was a “prank played by some mischief mongers.” Negating the reports of any presence of IS in Jammu and Kashmir, the state Director General Police (DGP) K Rajendra had recently said that some youth in the age group of 16 to 18 years waved the flags of Islamic State for fun.
“There is no ideology of IS reaching Kashmir. Those who wave IS flags are the boys between the age group of 16 to 18. You cannot declare them as IS ideologues,” the state police chief had said.
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