J&K police raid 200 locations in Kulgam in major crackdown on banned Jamaat-e-Islami

SRINAGAR: Police in Jammu and Kashmirs Kulgam district on Wednesday launched a massive crackdown against the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), raiding over 200 locations and seizing incriminating material and digital devices. The operation follows the Delhi blast and the busting of an inter-state white-collar militant module. In the past four days, over 500 people have been interrogated, and many of them detained and 400 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) launched by security personnel in the district. A police spokesman said Kulgam police launched a major crackdown on the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, whose top leaders were jailed within and outside Kashmir after the 2019 central government ban. The police spokesman said the raids were carried out at the houses and premises of Jamaat members and their associates as part of sustained efforts to dismantle the terror ecosystem and its support structure at the grassroots level. During the raids, incriminating material and digital devices were seized, and several JeI members were interrogated and bound down to further trace and disrupt networks aiding terrorism, he said. Police in Kulgam district has conducted hundreds of anti-militancy operations during the last four days. In last four days, over 400 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) were conducted across different areas of the district. The CASOs were conducted at the premises of OGWs, JKNOPS, places where encounters took place in the past, hide outs of active and killed militants, the police spokesman said. During these operations, about 500 individuals affiliated with JKNOPs and other banned outfits were interrogated and many of whom have been bound down and shifted to District Jail Mattan, Anantnag under preventive laws. Similar raids were also conducted in neighbouring Shopian targeting JeI activists. Security has been tightened across Jammu and Kashmir, with intensified vehicle checks and surprise CASOs following the Delhi explosion. Delhi blast: Forensic team collects 40 sample including two cartridges, explosives