Over 2,500 youths picked up across Kashmir in crackdown over cop’s killing

Security forces have detained around 2,500 young men across the Kashmir Valley as part of a massive security operation launched after a Jammu and Kashmir Police head constable was killed in a terrorist attack in Anantnag. The sweeping crackdown began hours after Head Constable Ashiq Hussain, who was deployed on Amarnath Yatra security duty, was shot dead by terrorists at Lal Chowk in Anantnag on Wednesday. Security agencies immediately launched search operations in the area before expanding the exercise to several districts across the Valley.

According to officials, coordinated raids and searches were carried out in Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Shopian, Ganderbal and other districts based on intelligence inputs. During these operations, nearly 2,500 youths were taken into preventive custody for questioning and verification. Officials said the operation is aimed at identifying individuals suspected of providing logistical, financial, communication or shelter support to terrorist groups and gathering information that could help investigators identify those behind the attack. Police maintained that the detentions were part of a preventive exercise and that those picked up were being questioned in accordance with the law. Authorities said the operation was intended to disrupt networks believed to assist terrorist organisations and prevent further attacks.

Srinagar reportedly accounted for the largest number of detentions, with hundreds of people taken into custody, while similar operations were conducted simultaneously across south, central and north Kashmir. Senior security officials described the exercise as part of an intensified campaign to dismantle the support infrastructure used by terrorists, particularly at a time when the annual Amarnath Yatra is underway. They said intelligence-based operations would continue across the Valley in coordination with various security agencies.

Head Constable Ashiq Hussain was attacked while on duty in Anantnag. The assailants managed to flee after the shooting, prompting an extensive manhunt involving the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The killing has been condemned by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior police officials, who described it as a cowardly terrorist attack and expressed condolences to the slain policeman's family. Security agencies have not yet announced any arrests in connection with the killing. Officials said search operations and investigations are continuing to identify the attackers and anyone who may have assisted them.