After militants and the Army, the Jammu and Kashmir police too have taken the poster route to reach out to the people in Kashmir as mobile phone and internet service continue to remain shut, creating a void.
The police have put up posters of the two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, wanted in an attack on the house of a prominent fruit merchant, in north Kashmir’s Sopore town and its adjoining areas, announcing a reward of Rs 10 lakh and Rs five lakh to anyone providing information about them.
“Sajjad Ahmad Mir @ Jajja @ Hyder is wanted in various criminal cases. Any person giving information will be rewarded as the said terrorist is carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head,” the posters carrying a picture of the militant carrying an AK rifle, read.
A similar poster with a picture of another militant Mudasir Ahmad Pandit alias Maaz Bhai carrying a bounty of Rs five lakh on his head has also been pasted in various areas of Sopore.
Police said that Sajjad, a commander of LeT, who is active since 2016, is involved in a series of attacks in the past over a month.
“Mudasir Pandith is an associate of Sajad while the third member of the group, Aasif Maqbool, was killed in an encounter on September 11 in Sopore,” SSP Sopore, Javid Iqbal said.
“Prior to the September 11 gunfight, in which Aasif was killed, the police had arrested eight overground workers of the group who were involved in issuing threatening posters in the area. The trio was involved in the attack on prominent fruit merchant on September 6 that left four people, including a baby girl, injured,” he added.
Over the past month, militants have been putting up posters across Kashmir warning people of attacks to deter them from resuming normal life.
The militants have taken poster route due to the communication blockade in Kashmir since August 5 when Parliament scrapped special status of J&K under Article 370.
Local newspapers are also reluctant to publish their statements forcing them to paste threat posters outside mosques and other public places.
Earlier this month, the Army had also put up posters and distributed pamphlets in parts of South Kashmir, considered to be the hotbed of militancy, explaining to locals the benefits of abrogation of Article 370.
The poster, written in Urdu, read: “Naye coaching centre aur private school banenge. Naye hotel banenge. Markaz ki nigraani mein rehne ka mahaul accha hoga. Zameen ki keemat badhegi (New coaching centres and private schools will be opened, new hotels will be constructed and under the Centre’s watch, the quality of life will improve. Also, the cost of real estate will increase).”