Massive police crackdown in Srinagar targets terror ecosystem

Srinagar, Oct 15: Police in Srinagar on Wednesday launched a series of coordinated raids across multiple locations in the district to curb terror related activities in the district. The operation, part of a broader security crackdown, is aimed at rooting out individuals and networks involved in facilitating terror activities.

Police said the raids were conducted as part of sustained efforts to neutralise what authorities describe as the “terror ecosystem” that enables, supports, or abets acts of terrorism in the Valley.

“In its sustained efforts to dismantle the terror ecosystem and curb unlawful activities, Srinagar Police conducted extensive raids at multiple locations across the city,” police said.

The raids were specifically aimed at residences of suspected overground workers (OGWs) and known terror associates affiliated with proscribed terrorist organisations. These individuals are believed to play key roles in logistical support, intelligence gathering, and recruitment for terror outfits.

The operations were carried out under ongoing investigations being conducted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a key legal framework used by security forces to combat terrorism-related activities in the region.

“The objective of these operations was to seize incriminating material such as documents, digital devices, and other evidence relevant to ongoing investigations,” police said.

Sources within the police said that several digital gadgets, including mobile phones and laptops, were seized during the raids, along with documents suspected to contain coded communications and links to foreign handlers.

To ensure transparency and adherence to due process, the searches were conducted in the presence of executive magistrates and independent civilian witnesses. Senior officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Police supervised the operations, which were planned based on intelligence inputs gathered over several weeks. “The raids also form part of a broader intelligence-gathering exercise aimed at pre-empting and disrupting any conspiratorial or terrorist activities threatening public peace and national security,” police added.

The latest crackdown comes amid a series of aggressive counter-terror operations launched in the Kashmir Valley over the past few months. Security forces have stepped up surveillance, search operations, and community outreach programmes as part of a multipronged strategy to isolate terrorist elements.