J&K police raid 10 locations in threat case against journalists

TRF, believed to be an LeT offshoot, recently issued an online threat to a few media houses in the valley 'for their traitorous' acts

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday raided 10 locations, including the residences of some journalists, across Kashmir in connection with an investigation into a case related to recent threats by militants to scribes.

“Massive searches in connection with #investigation of case related to recent #threat to journalists started by Police at 10 locations in #Srinagar, #Anantnag and #Kulgam. Details shall be followed,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted.

A local news gathering agency quoting sources said searches are being carried out at the residences of Gowhar Geelani, a journalist-turned-activist, Hakim Rashid Maqbool, who works with a local English daily, Sajad Kralyari and Khalid Gul, both former journalists, Qazi Shibli, who runs an online news portal, and Waseem Raja, a journo working with a local news organization.

Besides, the police also raided the residences of Sajad Sheikh alias Sajad Gul, commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba/TRF, Momin Gulzar, an active militant, and Mukhtar Ahmad Baba, a Turkey-based Kashmiri-origin photo-journalist, who is suspected to be behind threats received by several journalists in the Valley in the past week.

The residences of Qazi Yasir, former Mirwaiz of southern Kashmir, and Abu Aadil Pandith, an advocate, were also raided, reports said.

The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of the Lashkar, recently issued an online threat to a few media houses in the valley “for their traitorous” acts and “nexus with fascist Indian regime”. Srinagar police had registered a case and launched an investigation in view of the threats issued to journalists.

There are several cases against Gowhar Geelani and arrest warrants were issued by a court against him in February this year. However, he has apparently remained in hiding since then.

In 2020, the J&K Police had booked Geelani under the anti-terror legislation for “indulging in unlawful activities through his posts and writings on Social Media platform (sic) which are prejudicial to the national integrity, sovereignty and security of India.” However, he has not been arrested in any of these cases so far.