In the backdrop of the Paris carnage perpetrated by the ISIS, questions are being asked about the ISIS threat in Kashmir, in view of the increasing instances of ISIS flag waving at downtown Srinagar after Friday prayers.
Police say this more of an attention grabbing move by the young men who wave the flags. Cases have been registered against men who raised ISIS and Pakistani flags but investigations have not shown any ideological connections to the terror group.
“Every case is being investigated, we didn’t find any such ideology (ISIS) anywhere, anti-infiltration and counter-terrorism operations are continues and ongoing, situation is under control and crime rate is also declining and terrorist actions are also on the decline,” said K Rajindra, Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir.
According to a recent survey by an intelligence agency, Srinagar tops the list of Indian cities that see internet searches related to the Islamic State. People closely follow the activities of the ISIS through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the survey found.
“We are watching this with concern, the growing interest of ISIS in Kashmir. All agencies are at it and we would be able to control it,” said Lt Gen Satish Dua, GoC 15 Corps.
Security agencies maintain that the biggest threat here comes from home-grown militancy.
There are 52 local militants, with 22-year-old Burhan Wani emerging as the poster boy of this “new wave”. The Army says home grown militants don’t cross into Pakistan for training. Instead, they train deep in the jungles of the Kashmir valley and use the internet for propaganda.
