Major crackdown against Jamaat-e-Islami in Kashmir, top leadership arrested

The Centre has decided to deploy 100 more companies of paramilitary forces in Kashmir Valley immediately.

“We have to urgently deploy CAPFs in Jammu & Kashmir. It is requested to provide 100 coys of CAPFs (CRPF – 45,BSF-35,SSB-10 & ITBP 10) to Govt of J&K with immediate effect and till further orders. IG (ops), CRPF is requested to ensure immediate movement of forces in coordination with IG (ops) of all forces,” reads a Home Ministry letter to the state government, copies of which have been also sent to IG(Ops) to CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB, for “further information.”

The deployment comes even as police tonight arrested JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and apprehensions among people regarding the outcome of Supreme Court’s hearing of pleas on scrapping Articles 35A and 370 from the Indian Constitution.

A mass crackdown has been launched against Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in the Valley as dozens of its leaders have been arrested in noctural raids by government forces.

In north, south Kashmir and central Kashmir, forces carried out nocturnal raids to pick Jamaat leaders and cadre from their residences.

A JeI spokeperson acknowledgeming the arrests in a handout termed the move a “well-designed conspiracy to pave way for further uncertainty in the region”.

“During the intervening night of 22-23 February, 2019 police and other forces agencies launched mass arrest drive and raided many houses in the Valley wherein dozens of its central and district level leaders have been arrested,” it said.

Those detained including Ameer Jama’at Dr Abdul Hamid Fayaz, Advocate Zahid Ali (spokesperson), Ghulam Qadir Lone (former secretary general), Abdur Rouf (Ameer Zila Islamabad), Mudasir Ahmad (Ameer Tehsil Pahalgam), Abdul Salam (Dialgam), Bakhtawar Ahmad (Dialgam), Mohammad Hayat (Tral), Bilal Ahmad (Chadoora), Ghulam Mohammad Dar (Chak Sangran) and dozens more, it said.

The oldest religio-political organisation which has above 5000 cadre said, “something seems fishy at this moment when states special position is listed in Supreme Court. Article 35(A) which grants special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir is being heard within days and the way forces personnel unleashed the spree of mass arrest and detained dozens of Jama’at members prior to the hearing seems something is hatching behind the curtains”.

“Any attempt of eroding or tempering Article 35(A) is unacceptable for people of Jammu and Kashmir,” it added.