Srinagar: On Tuesday evening near Lalchowk in Srinagar in Central Kashmir, a journalist with two hand grenades was arrested. Originally from Khrew area of Pampore in Pulwama, Aadil Farooq was working with CNS News Agency. Initial information about a man with grenades was received by the J&K Police in the afternoon and relayed to the CRPF and SSB, which secured strategic points in and around the Lalchowk area.
#BREAKING: Journalist Aadil Farooq arrested with 2 grenades by CRPF near Lalchowk in Srinagar, Kashmir. Minutes after Grenade attack near Amira Kadal. Being interrogated by senior police officers right now. Journalist working as a Sub-Editor with CNS News Agency in Press Enclave. pic.twitter.com/nqPjfxVTIZ
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 10, 2021
The arrest happened minutes after a grenade attack on Hari Singh High Street near Srinagar’s Amira Kadal area in which five local Kashmiris, including two women, were injured. An officer confirmed the development to CNN-News18, saying the arrested individual was still being questioned by Central Kashmir DIG Amit Kumar and Srinagar SSP Sandeep Chaudhary.
Big achievement for J&K Police in Srinagar with the arrest of journalist Aadil Farooq red-handed with grenades near Press Enclave, Srinagar. DIG & SSP Srinagar interrogating him. Farooq is originally from near Khrew, Pampore of Pulwama in South Kashmir. Cops suspect bigger nexus. pic.twitter.com/znWgRLFkhA
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 10, 2021
J&K Police consider this arrest to be a major development in its crackdown against the overground support of terror groups. Police in J&K suspects that there is a larger terror nexus involving terror groups based in Pakistan. Farooq was arrested because the police suspect he was using his position as a journalist to spread propaganda, he was acting as a courier for terror groups, and he was directly involved in terrorist activities himself.
Farooq was arrested, in 2019, for terror links after Public Safety Act (PSA) was slapped against him by the J&K Police. Farooq’s PSA dossier, dated February 1, 2019, stated: ‘You met with various militants in whose influence you developed a militant ideology. As a result, you established a link with the Hurriyat leader Bilal Gani Lone under whose instructions you remained pro-active in instigating the same ideology amongst the people and youth of the area. You have also liaison with one militant namely Mohammad Ayoub Lone alias pilot of banned militant organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and his other militant associates for whom you are working as over ground worker as being a local you know topography of the area which leads to safe transportation of illegal arms and ammunition through unconventional routes and away from the security forces.’ Further, the dossier stated: ‘Besides, you were providing them all possible help including food, shelter, logistics and transportation from one place to another regarding which case vide FIR number 20/2017 under sections 18,19,20,39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act stands registered in police station Pampore.’
‘You could not mend your ways and instead chose to continue the subversive activities. Remaining your (sic) at large would pose threat to the security of the state particularly at the time when the atmosphere is already surcharged,’ it reads.
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