How a J&K village nabbed two LeT terrorists; BJP denies links to one of them
The tiny population of Kashmiri Muslims residing in the remote Tukson village in Reasi district in J&K, who are being praised for capturing two heavily armed Laskar-e-Taiba terrorists on July 3 (Sunday), have always stood their ground against terrorists setting up camp in their area. Earlier too, the terrorists had set up a check-post in the same village but the village elders had chased them away and ensured that they never returned.
The 300-350 households in Tukson comprise mostly of Kashmiri Muslims, who had moved from the Valley over 50 years ago.
According to news reports, the Tukson villagers, who had a “little bit of training from Rashtriya Rifles” on how to save themselves in case they came in contact with terrorists, said that they did not want let these terrorists go because they would then target innocent civilians, with Independence Day around the corner. “This gave us the courage to overpower them,” said a villager to a national daily.
Overpowering the terrorists
According to the villagers, around 7.45 pm on Saturday, two “unknown people posing as traders” came to a dhok or covered dwelling, where a 50-year-old man was staying with his wife and school-going daughter. The man got suspicious when the men told him to switch off his mobile phone, and later called his brother, a truck driver, on the sly. He told him that he was scared for his life.
The truck driver rounded up seven others and reached the dhok by 11.30 pm. They silently formed a cordon around the house and at 5 am, they entered the dhok through a window and saw the terrorists still asleep.
Also read: Villagers overpower two LeT terrorists in J&K’s Reasi; one had links with BJP
Two of them removed the bags lying near them, and the others overpowered them. They called a local police officer after which a joint security team reached the spot and took custody of the militants. They turned out to be Talib Hussain Shah, a “mastermind” behind several terror incidents in the Pir Panjal region over the past 2-3 years, including the recent blasts in Rajouri’s Kotranka area in which four people were injured.
The other Lashkar-e-Taiba, Faizal Dar, seemed to be a new recruit. They had allegedly lost their way and landed at Tukson. After questioning, Talib and Faizal led the police to their hideout in the Draj area of Rajouri where six sticky bombs, a pistol, magazines, an Under-Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), three grenades and 75 rounds of AK-rifle were found. Sources in the police told the media that the “war-like stores” showed that they may have been planning an attack on the Amarnath Yatra.
For their bravery, the villagers got a cash reward of ₹5 lakh from J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. The villagers told the media that they were ready to die for their country, and the government should ensure the security of their families.
Lashkar terrorist in BJP IT cell
After Talib Shah’s arrest, some pictures emerged on social media reportedly showing Shah with Bharatiya Janata Party leaders. It is alleged that one of the terrorists, Shah, had been part of BJP IT’s cell. One of the photographs shows J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina presenting Shah with a bouquet and a letter issued by party leader Sheikh Bashir on May 9, making him the IT and social media in-charge of the party’s Minority Morcha (Jammu province).
Also read: Two LeT terrorists overpowered by villagers; handed over to police in Reasi
According to the police, terrorists take shelter in political parties to continue their activities. The DGP Dilbag Singh told the media that Shah also posed as as a media person. He is not the first media person to be arrested as we have arrested many such people in the past and such arrests will take place in the future as well, he said.
The DGP said that it is a matter of happiness that he did not remain in the party for a long time and just had a brief association with the party.
Singh, who announced a cash reward of ₹2 lakh for the villagers, said Pakistan and its agencies, through terror groups, were making repeated attempts to revive terrorism in Jammu province. Praising the Tukson villagers for their exemplary courage, who took on the Laskar-e-Taiba terrorists with their bare hands, he also pointed out that people living in the remote areas were vulnerable to the brutal face of terrorism.
Terrorists used to forcibly intrude into their homes, take shelter and even exploit their women, he said.
However, the people have always stood with the security forces, he added, saying that there were some “black sheep” in every community. Mostly, however, the people are with the establishment, with police and we are thankful to them, said the DGP.
BJP clarification on Lashkar terrorist in IT cell
The Congress raised a hue and cry over Shah’s presence with BJP leaders in a photograph calling it a “serious security breach”. The BJP responded that Talib was neither an active nor a primary member of the party but posed as a journalist to gain entry into the BJP headquarters.
