Militants raid homes, kidnap relatives of policemen in Kashmir

Militants raided a number of houses of policemen in south Kashmir yesterday on Thursday night and abducted seven people including policemen and their relatives.

The incident took place on a day when the security forces nabbed 11 people, which were mainly the relatives of active militants in south Kashmir including that of Hizbul Mujahideen the ‘operational commander’ father of Riyaz Naikoo from the district of Awantipora. It also follows the arrest of supremo Syed Salahuddin’s elder son by the National Investigation Agency in the money laundering case that happened in the year 2011.

The recruits of two non-local of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed in an operation on Thursday.

A police official confirmed that the militants raided houses in Kulgam, Shopian, and Pulwama of Kashmir.

The police official said, “We are investigating these raids. Details are sketchy. Four to seven persons have been kidnapped”.

As per the police sources, brothers of two policemen, identified as Inspector Nazir Ahmad and Mehmad Ahmad in Arwani of Anantnag were kidnapped from their homes in militant raids.

A pro-militant online account claimed that the militants have abducted the son of policeman Mohammad Maqbool Bhat of Arawani, brother of SHO Nazir Ahmad Sankar of Bijbehara, policeman Bashir Ahmad Makro from Kulgam’s Kharpora and son of Abdul Salam Rather from Yamrach Yaripora of Kulgam. An unconfirmed report suggests the brother of a deputy superintendent of police was also kidnapped in south Kashmir.

The militants abducted Asif Rather, the policeman’s son three days back.

Meanwhile, the security has been tightened in Kashmir while there has been a call for shutdown on the eve of the hearing of the petitions challenging Article 35-A in the Supreme Court which defines state subject laws.