To escape the radar of security agencies, one of the two terrorists killed in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar on Tuesday night was posing as a journalist, often visiting the city’s erstwhile Press Club.
Rais Ahmed Bhat, one of the two terrorists killed in a late night encounter with security forces in Srinagar’s Rainawari area, had an expired ‘press card’, in which his designation as ‘editor-in-chief’ of an online news portal were shown. Valley News Service.
Srinagar Press Club was in the news for a long time, and that too for all the wrong reasons, as security agencies had inputs that it was being used to spread hatred against the Indian state.
In January this year, the Press Club again came into the limelight after a group of journalists took control of a committee that had failed to hold elections even after the end of the governing body’s year-long term.
Fearing law and order problems due to the takeover of the Srinagar Press Club, the Jammu and Kashmir administration canceled the allotment of land and building under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Soon after, Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had criticized the government’s stand by tweeting, “It seems that the coup and the subsequent closure of one more outlet will be complete. was well planned which served as a medium. For journalists to freely debate and discuss their opinions. With every passing day, all the safety valves are being pressed to express dissatisfaction.”
Sources in the security establishment reveal that the erstwhile Srinagar Press Club was being used to spread anti-India narratives and several people associated with it were booked for anti-national activities.
Fahad Shah |A prominent editor of an online news portal is in jail after being booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for his “anti-India activities”.
Another writer of Shah’s portal, Sajjad Gul, was earlier booked under the PSA for uploading material “against the national interest of India” on his social media handle.
On August 10 last year, Adil Farooq, a journalist working for the local news gathering agency CNS, was arrested by the Srinagar police when he was allegedly roaming around with two grenades.
In 2020, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had filed an FIR against another journalist, Gauhar Geelani, for “glorifying terrorism” in her social media post.
A former Kashmiri journalist who later became a human rights champion, Khurram Parvez was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged anti-national activities.
Sources in the administration say that the security agencies have been asked to take strict action against anyone who works openly or indirectly against the interest of the country.
Meanwhile, a police spokesperson said that based on specific inputs generated by the department regarding the presence of terrorists in Rainawari area of Srinagar, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Srinagar Police and Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Valley. Was. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in that area.
As the search party moved towards the spot, the hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately at it, which was retaliated effectively. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed and their bodies were recovered from the spot. The spokesman said that they have been identified as Rais Ahmed Bhat and Hilal Ahmed Raha, residents of Bijbehra Anantnag, and they are associated with the banned terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
According to police records, both the men killed were part of terrorist groups involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on police and security forces and civilian atrocities.
“It is pertinent to mention that slain terrorist Raees Ahmed was earlier working as a journalist and running online news portal Valley News Service in Anantnag. He had joined the terrorist ranks in the year 2021 and was wanted by law in cases related to terror crimes. He was also responsible for creating panic among the local people and forcing innocent civilians to sympathize with anti-national elements,” the spokesperson said.
Incriminating material, arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. The spokesperson said that all the recovered materials have been taken on the case record for further investigation.
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