Red Fort blast, explosive haul, doctor arrests: J&K police target Jamaat ecosystem in Valley-wide raids

Srinagar: Two days after the Red Fort car blast in Delhi that killed at least 12 people, and the recovery of 2,900 kilograms of explosives from a Faridabad flat linked to two Kashmiri doctors, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday carried out a massive crackdown on alleged supporters of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) across the Valley.

The coordinated raids, as per officials, conducted as part of efforts to dismantle the terror support structure at the grassroots level, mark an escalation in the ongoing campaign against militant-linked networks in the region.

Police said simultaneous searches were conducted at the houses and premises of Jamaat members and their associates in multiple districts, with a focus on tracing the group’s financial, ideological, and logistical channels that may still be active despite the outfit’s ban in 2019.

“The raids were carried out as part of sustained efforts to dismantle the terror ecosystem and its support structure at the grassroots level,” a police official said.

During the searches, police claimed to have seized a large quantity of incriminating material, including documents, digital storage devices, and printed content “having direct links with the banned outfit.”

The material has been sent for detailed analysis, while several suspects have been detained for questioning to verify their role in unlawful and subversive activities.

The latest crackdown comes amid heightened security following the busting of a terror module in Faridabad and Saharanpur, where two Kashmiri doctors — identified as Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather and Dr Muzammil Ahmad — were arrested for their alleged role in storing explosives and aiding the planning of a pan-India terror campaign.

Investigators believe the Red Fort blast, suspected to have been carried out by Pulwama resident Dr Umar Nabi, may have been the first in a series of attacks planned by the group.

Officials, however, said there was no immediate operational link established between the Red Fort attack and Wednesday’s raids on Jamaat members, though both are part of a broader strategy to break the ecosystem of radicalisation and financing that supports militancy in Kashmir.

Security officials described the operation as a “preventive sweep” aimed at choking ideological and logistical support to militant groups, particularly those inspired by the now-banned Jamaat’s networks. Since its proscription under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2019 for alleged terror links, JeI has remained under the radar of intelligence agencies, who believe its cadre continues to operate through educational and welfare fronts in Kashmir.

“Several JeI-linked individuals had resumed underground activities under different social and religious banners,” a senior police officer said. “The idea is to strike at the root of the support base that feeds militancy.”

Officials said more raids are expected in the coming days as agencies analyse digital and financial data seized during Wednesday’s operation. The crackdown, they said, is part of a coordinated push that began after last week’s explosive recovery in Haryana and the Delhi car blast, signalling a renewed effort to disrupt both the operational cells and the ideological networks sustaining militancy from Kashmir to the national capital.