The unilateral ceasefire during the holy month of Ramzan may have brought a halt to anti-militancy operations in Kashmir but security agencies have warned of a rise in recruitment of local youth into militant groups, that has crossed 80.
Security officials said more youth from the highly-volatile Shopian and Pulwama districts in south Kashmir continued to join militant groups, including ISIS-Kashmir and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a group which claims support of the Al-Qaeda.
As many as 20 more youth have joined the militant groups in May, the officials said. The officials said another 16 were missing mainly from the twin districts and a probe was on to ascertain whether they had joined any terror group.
The officials said infiltration was also picking up and some of the terrorists had managed to sneak in from Poonch and Rajouri district of the Jammu region as well as from the Line of Control in the Kashmir valley. This created a more alarming situation for security forces which were readying themselves for the two-month-long Amarnath yatra beginning at the month-end.
According to the officials, 2018 might end as the worst year in terms of number of youth joining various militant groups as the figures indicated that 81 youth had joined until May this year. In 2017, a total of 126 youths had picked up guns. It was the highest number since 2010, according to a recent data presented in the state Assembly and Parliament.
There has been a steady rise in the number of youth taking up arms in the Valley since 2014 as compared to 2010-2013 when figures stood at 54, 23, 21 and 6 in the respective years. In 2014, the number shot up to 53 and in 2015, it reached 66 before touching the highest mark of 88 in 2016, the data showed.
This year’s recruitment of youth joining militancy includes Junaid Ashraf Sehrai, 26, an MBA degree holder from Kashmir University, and son of Mohammed Ashraf Sehrai, who took over as chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat from Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Tehreek-e-Hurriyat is a pro-Pakistan amalgam of separatists groups.
The list also includes a 26-year-old PhD scholar Mannan Bashir Wani hailing from Kupwara, officials said. Wani was studying in Aligarh Muslim University.
According to a report prepared by the CID, which has been shared with the Union Home Ministry, the past three years have witnessed a consistent rise in the number of active local militants even in the face of successful anti-militancy operations undertaken by the security forces.
“It therefore become imperative for the state to deconstruct why, while militants are being killed, militancy continues to rise,” the report had said.
The report said the situation is such that terrorists encounters “have turned into a spectacle in the recent years with attacks on encounter sites by protesters followed by glamourised funerals.” “The entire phenomenon has had a tendency to create an emotionally charged environment which is ideal for recruiting fresh cadres,” it said.
Local recruitment in militant groups rising: Agencies
