SRINAGAR: A senior
police officer has been arrested in Indian Kashmir and accused of aiding militants
after he was found driving two suspected insurgents towards Jammu, Kashmir's
chief of police told reporters on Sunday (Jan 12).
The Muslim-majority
Kashmir valley, claimed by both India and Pakistan, has been in turmoil since
New Delhi announced in August that it would strip the territory of its
long-held autonomy and statehood.
Arguing that special
provisions for the region had hindered its development and fuelled separatism,
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government separated the erstwhile state
of Jammu and Kashmir into two federally-controlled territories at the end of
October.
The police officer,
Divinder Singh, was arrested on Saturday along with two suspected militants,
police chief Vijay Kumar said. He named one of those Singh was arrested with as
Naveed Mushtaq. Police officers have said previously they believe Mushtaq was
involved in the killing of 11 apple traders, drivers and labourers last year.
"We have
registered a case against (Singh) under the arms, explosives and unlawful
activities acts," Kumar said. "It is a sensitive case and we don't
want any loopholes," he added, saying that Singh would be treated as a
militant and jointly interrogated by all the intelligence agencies.
Reuters was unable to
contact Singh, Mushtaq or their representatives for comment. It is unusual for
a serving police officer to be accused of involvement in Kashmir's 30-year
insurgency. Singh has played an active role in anti-militancy operations in
Kashmir for which he received a gallantry award in 2019. It was not immediately
clear how or why he came to be travelling with the suspected insurgents.
Mushtaq, who was
arrested with Singh, was also a member of the Jammu and Kashmir police until
2017, two senior police officers told reporters on Sunday. In a separate
incident, three members of the Hizbul Mujahideen group, including their top
commander, Hamad Khan, were killed in a gun battle in Kashmir on Sunday, Kumar
said. The Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the largest groups fighting against
Indian rule in Muslim-majority Kashmir.
"On specific
information about presence of militants in the village, we cordoned off the
area and asked them to surrender. They refused...and fired on troops, leading
to a gun battle in which they were killed," said Kumar, adding that the
incident took place in southern Kashmir's Tral area.
The Hizbul Mujahideen
group have not publically commented and could not be reached by the media. –
Reuters
Source: The Star – 12 January 2020
By: Fayaz Bukhari
By: Fayaz Bukhari
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