Journalist Arrested with Grenades in Srinagar Days Before Independence Day

A journalist with two hand grenades was arrested Tuesday evening near Lalchowk in Srinagar in Central Kashmir. Aadil Farooq was working with CNS News Agency and originally hails from Khrew area of Pampore in Pulwama of South Kashmir.

Initial input about a man with grenades was received by the J&K Police in the afternoon and subsequently conveyed to the CRPF and SSB, which secured various security strategic points in and around the Lalchowk area.

The arrest also happened minutes after a grenade attack on Hari Singh High Street near Srinagar’s Amira Kadal area in which five local Kashmiris, including two women were injured.

Confirming the development to CNN-News18, a top officer pointed that the arrested individual was being interrogated by DIG Central Kashmir Amit Kumar and SSP Srinagar Sandeep Chaudhary.

In its crackdown against over ground support of terror groups, J&K Police looks at this arrest as a major development.

J&K Police is suspecting a larger terror nexus involving Pakistan-based terror groups. With the arrest of Farooq, the police suspect he was using cover of being a journalist for propaganda, being a courier for terror groups and participating directly in terror activities himself.

In 2019, Farooq was arrested for terror links after Public Safety Act (PSA) was slapped against him by the J&K Police.

Farooq’s PSA dossier dated February 1, 2019 said: “You met with various militants in whose influence you developed a militant ideology. As a result, you established a link with the Hurriyat leader Bilal Gani Lone under whose instructions you remained pro-active in instigating the same ideology amongst the people and youth of the area. You have also liaison with one militant namely Mohammad Ayoub Lone alias pilot of banned militant organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and his other militant associates for whom you are working as over ground worker as being a local you know topography of the area which leads to safe transportation of illegal arms and ammunition through unconventional routes and away from the security forces.”

The dossier further said: “Besides, you were providing them all possible help including food, shelter, logistics and transportation from one place to another regarding which case vide FIR number 20/2017 under sections 18,19,20,39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act stands registered in police station Pampore.”
“You could not mend your ways and instead chose to continue the subversive activities. Remaining your (sic) at large would pose threat to the security of the state particularly at the time when the atmosphere is already surcharged,” it reads.