SRINAGAR – Indian security agencies have warned of a rise in recruitment oflocal youths into militant groups, that has crossed 80.
The security agency officials said the highly-volatile Shopian and Pulwamadistricts in South Kashmir continued to contribute more youths to themilitant groups.As many as 20 more youths have joined the militant groupsin the month of May which included Rouf from Ganderbal, a fourth-semesterstudent pursuing a diploma course in government polytechnic, the officialssaid.
A Unani doctor, the brother of IPS officer Inamulhaq Mengnoo, has also beenreported missing from Shopian and it is apprehended that he too may havejoined militant groups, they said, adding that the figure at the end ofApril this year was 45.
The officials said another 16 were missing mainly from the twin districtsand a probe was on to ascertain whether they have joined any terror group.
The officials said infiltration was also picking up and some of theterrorists had managed to sneak in from Poonch and Rajouri district ofJammu region as well as from the LoC in the Kashmir Valley. This created amore alarming situation for the security forces which were readyingthemselves for the two-month-long Amarnath Yatra beginning this month-end.
Year 2018, according to the officials, may end up as the worst year interms of number of youths joining various militant groups as the figuresindicated that 81 youths had joined until May this year. In 2017, a totalof 126 youths had picked up guns. It was the highest number since 2010,according to a recent data presented in the state assembly and Parliament.
There has been a steady rise in the number of youth taking up arms in theValley since 2014 onwards as compared to 2010-2013 when figures stood at54, 23, 21 and 6 in the respective years. In 2014, the number shot up to 53and in 2015, it reached 66 before touching the highest mark of 88 in 2016,the data showed.
This year’s recruitment of youth joining militancy includes Junaid AshrafSehrai, 26, an MBA degree holder from Kashmir University, and son ofMohammed Ashraf Sehrai, who took over as chairman of Tehrek-e-Hurriyat fromSyed Ali Shah Geelani. Teherik-e-Hurriyat is a pro-Pakistan amalgam ofseparatists groups.
The list also includes a 26-year-old PhD scholar Mannan Bashir Wani hailingfrom Kupwara, officials said. Wani was studying in the Aligarh MuslimUniversity (AMU).
According to a report prepared by the Jammu and Kashmir CID, which has beenshared with the Union Home Ministry, the past three years have witnessed aconsistent rise in the number of active local militants even in the face ofsuccessful anti-militancy operations undertaken by the security forces.
“It, therefore, becomes imperative for the state to deconstruct why, whilemilitants are being killed, militancy continues to rise,” the report hadsaid.