No internet shutdown on July 8, 13 but increased surveillance: IGP

Srinagar: Inspector General of Police Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar on Wednesday said internet services won’t be snapped on 8 July and 13 July but police will increase its surveillance to ensure peace remains intact.

Talking to a selected group of reporters in Srinagar, the IGP Kumar said though some requests are pouring in that the internet should be snapped given the fact that an online portal from across the LoC has published posters calling for strike on 8 July and  13 July. “A police party went to Syed Ali Geelani’s house to confirm whether he had called for any strike, but family members denied and termed posters on Geelani’s name as fake,” the IGP said.

He said that police won’t snap the internet but surveillance will be increased to keep anti-social and anti-peace elements at bay on 8 July and 13 July. “Since 5 August 2019, there has been no civilian killings in Kashmir which has frustrated the people across. So anti-peace elements may try to foment trouble on 8 July and 13 July, but we are ready to foil all such attempts,” he said. 8 July marks the anniversary of young Hizb commander Burhan Wani who was killed on this day at Anantnag district in a gunfight. And 13 July is observed as martyrs’ day across J-K to remember 22 martyrs who were killed in 1931 during Dogra rule.

On the killing of the longest surviving Hizb militant Mehrajudin Halwai alias Obaid, the IGP said that they received a specific input about Obaid’s movement and then a joint cordon was laid. “We captured him alive at a checkpoint and recovered a grenade from him. After his questioning, he pinpointed some hideouts, after which joint CASO was launched. At one of the locations disclosed by him, we took him along, where he took out his AK-47 riffle, that he had kept hidden there, and started opening fire at forces,” the IGP Kumar said, adding that “in the encounter, he was killed and the AK-47 riffle recovered from him.”

The IGP said Obaid diploma holder in Computers and was very tech-savy. “He was the master recruiter of local youth and would also give training to them. He was involved in many incidents and there are many cases registered against him. At two hideouts revealed by him, militants had fled before we reached there,” Kumar said.