Days after MHA ban, Crackdown On Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday, February 24, started a massive crackdown on terror groups and their leaders in the union territory. Police officials have identified the houses of terrorists belonging to Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force along with those of their sympathisers and started to attach them.

Houses of three terrorists who attempted to revive terrorism in Chenab valley of Jammu and Kashmir have been attached including that of Abdul Majid, a dreaded leader of the group.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of Jammu and Kashmir will continue to crackdown on terror and the move is to stop revenue generation of such groups active in the Jammu region on the union territory.

Speaking to Republic, Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and Senior Superintendent of Police of Ramban Mohita Sharma stated that the police have a list of those who have been indulging in terror activities and their supporters.

“The houses of three terrorists are being attached today in Ind and Gool area of Ramban. A terror sympathiser Abdul Majid harboured these terrorists. All attempts to revive terrorism in the region have been foiled. Anyone attempting the same and those who try to pose threat to national security will be given a befitting reply. We have prepared a list of overground workers of terrorists and many have been booked under the Public Safety Act,” said Mohita Sharma. 

Terror groups banned

The Union Home Ministry had on February 17 designated Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force as a terror organisation and banned it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Another terror group Khalistan Tiger Force, too, was banned.

Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF) has been involved in infiltration bids, narcotics and weapon smuggling and carrying out terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. The group has several armed terrorists from various Pakistan-sponsored groups like Lashker-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, and Harkat-ul-Jehad-E-Islami etc.

“In furtherance to India’s Zero Tolerance policy towards terrorism, the Central Government amended the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in August 2019 to include the provision of designating an individual as terrorist. Prior to this amendment, only organizations could be designated as terrorist organization. By invoking the said amended provision, the Central Government had designated 53 individuals as terrorists,” the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry had also declared a person identified as Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, a member of terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) as terrorist under the amended UAPA along with the above-mentioned organisations.