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‘Money trail of Rs 338 crore established’: SC denies bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia in Delhi Liquor scam case, directs to fast track trial

On Monday, October 30, the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to Manish Sisodia, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, in the Delhi liquor policy case. While denying bail, the apex court noted that a money trail of Rs 338 crore has been tentatively established in the case.

The two-judge bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti further ordered that the case be expedited, noting that Sisodia may apply for bail again if the trial proceeds slowly.

“We have referred to the arguments and some of the legal questions but we have not answered most of them. In the analysis, there are certain aspects which are doubtful regarding the transfer of ₹ 338 crore transfer is established. We have rejected the bail,” said Justice Khanna.

Sisodia, who is facing money laundering and corruption charges over alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of a now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy, has been in custody since February of this year and is being investigated by both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

Notably, on October 19, a Delhi Court extended the judicial custody of Manish Sisodia until November 22.

The liquor policy for 2021-22 was put into effect by the Delhi administration on 17th November 2021, however, it was cancelled at the end of September 2022 due to accusations of corruption. According to the agencies, the new regulation led to monopolisation and gave economic advantages to people who weren’t eligible for liquor licenses.

On the other hand, Manish Sisodia and the Delhi administration have denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the new policy would have increased the state’s excise revenue.

Meet Dilly Hussain: Deputy Editor of ‘5 Pillars’, portal which also fanned Leicester violence, now threatens Israelis, had called for turning India ‘Islamic’

On Monday (30th October), the Deputy Editor of the Islamic propaganda website ‘5 Pillars’ called for the targeted harassment and persecution of Israelis in Muslim-majority countries.

Dilly Hussain, a British-born Islamist from Bangladesh, works as the Deputy Editor of ‘5 Pillars.’ In a tweet on Monday, he announced, “This is the kind of welcome all Israelis should be receiving at the airports of Muslim-majority countries.”

His tweet came hours after a mob of frenzied Islamists ambushed the Dagestan airport in Russia, chanted anti-Semitic slogans and prevented Israeli passengers from deboarding at the airport.

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

Encouraged by the actions of his fellow co-religionists, Hussain called for the setting up of a similar blockade against Israelis in Muslim-dominated nations.

Earlier in July this year, he had tried to rationalise acts of terror by Islamists as ‘fighting oppression and resisting occupation.’

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

He was also seen glorifying terrorism by claiming it to be ‘defensive jihad’ against ‘oppressors and occupiers.’

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

Besides his brazen display of anti-Semitism, the Deputy Editor of ‘5 Pillars’ has a history of peddling anti-India and anti-Hindu propaganda. In a tweet on India’s Independence Day, he hoped that the Hindu-majority country would soon fall prey to Islamic rule.

“On Indian Independence Day, I pray that Allah (swt): Liberates Indian-occupied Kashmir; Eases the suffering of Muslims and other oppressed minorities; For India to return to Islamic rule. Ameen” he brazened out.

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

Dilly Hussain was seen using dehumanising language against the Hindu community and praying to Allah for the doom of ‘Mushrikeen’ (idolators).

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

“The mushrikeen of India are unsurprisingly backing France over their attacks against the Prophet (saw),” he wrote in a tweet, criticising the response of India’s Hindus against the beheading of Samuel Paty by an Islamic terrorist.

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

Anti-India propaganda

The Deputy Editor of ‘5 Pillars’ had tried to mobilise support from Pakistanis and Bangladeshi Muslims over the Karnataka Hijab controversy.

This was despite the fact that the Karnataka High Court upheld that the Hijab is not an integral part of Islam and that uniform is a reasonable restriction on ‘Right to Religion.’

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

The Islamic propaganda site ‘5 Pillars’ interviewed ‘sheroes’ of Barkha Dutt, namely, Ladeeda Farzana and Aysha Renna in December 2019 to spread canards about India.

Ladeeda, in one of her posts, had openly called for ‘Jihad’ and had said that people should “learn about our ‘Jihad’”. In another post of hers from April 2018, she was found disrespecting the country by showing ‘middle fingers’ to India.

Similarly, Aysha Renna, the face of anti-CAA riots at Jamia, had called India ‘fascist’ for hanging the terrorist Yakub Memon for his involvement in the Mumbai Blasts that killed hundreds of people.

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

Dilly Hussain was also seen fearmongering about the future of India after Narendra Modi was re-elected as the Prime Minister of India in May 2019.

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

The Deputy Editor of ‘5 Pillars’ was seen challenging the sovereignty of India and claiming that the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir did not belong to it.

“In the same way, a handspan of Palestine doesn’t belong to the Zionist entity of Israel, not a handspan of Kashmir belongs to India,” he had tweeted.

Screengrab of the tweet by Dilly Hussain

‘5 Pillars’ spread lies about Leicester violence to shield Islamists

The Islamic Propaganda site ‘5 Pillars’, run by Dilly Hussain had tried to pin the blame on the Hindus for the Leicester violence.

The Henry Jackson Society (HJS), founded in 2005, released a 39-page report [pdf] on November 3 and concluded that the false allegations about the Hindu community in Leicester exposed them to hate, vandalism and assault.

“Contrary to press reports at the time, the investigations did not find Hindutva extremist organisations operating in Leicester, but instead discovered a micro-community cohesion issue falsely presented as an issue of organised Hindutva extremism and terrorism,” the summary of the report read.

Screengrab of the tweet by ‘5 Pillars’

Majid Freeman instigated violence in the city of Leicester where Muslim mobs went on a rampage against the Hindu community following the Asia Cup India-Pakistan cricket match on August 28, 2022.

Majid Freeman is a local Leicester Muslim “activist” who is known to harbour problematic and extremist Islamic views. It was reported that Freeman played a key role in spreading fake information and instigating the Muslim mob to launch an attack on Hindu homes and religious places.

Later in September that year, he repeated his lie claiming that a Muslim boy had been targeted and attacked by Muslims in the city. However, the Leicester police had responded to Majid saying that such an incident had not happened.

Screengrab of the tweet by ‘5 Pillars’

Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby met Islamist Majid Freeman, who was at the helm of the Leicester disinformation campaign and helped him set the narrative in favour of the perpetrators. The meeting was covered by ‘5 Pillars’, which introduced him as a ‘Muslim activist.’

The Islamic propaganda site also repeated the lie about the supposed involvement of RSS in the Leciester violence.

Screengrab of the tweet by ‘5 Pillars’

The Islamic propaganda site was also seen peddling make-believe stories to portray Islamists as the victims and the Hindu community as the perpetrators.

Screengrab of the tweet by ‘5 Pillars’

Given his innate hatred against Hindus and India, it comes as no surprise that Dilly Hussain has now called for the targeted harassment of the Jewish community and Israelis in Muslim-majority countries. His X (formerly Twitter) account has now been withheld in India.

‘Highest importance’: EAM S Jaishankar meets families of 8 Indians given death penalty by Qatar, says govt will do everything to secure their release

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met with the families of eight Indians detained in Qatar and assured them that the government will make all efforts to secure their release. 

The EAM said that the government attaches the “highest importance” to the case and will coordinate closely with the families in that regard. 

“Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that the Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families. Underlined that the Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard,” Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter).

This comes after the Court of First Instance of Qatar passed a verdict of the death penalty for the eight former naval officers who were detained in Doha. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs said that it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict and now awaits the detailed judgement. 

“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving 8 Indian employees of Al Dahra company,” the MEA said in a statement. 

“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” it added. 

The MEA further stated that the matter is very important to us, the MEA said adding that and they have been keeping a close eye on it. 

“We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” the MEA release said. 

“Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” it added. 

The eight Indian nationals have been imprisoned in Qatar since October 2022 and were accused of allegedly spying on a submarine programme. 

New Delhi had been granted consular access to the eight Indians and had been working to secure their release. The Indian nationals had their first trial in late March.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Short circuit causes blast in Sonipat, Haryana: Irfan had kept explosive materials in his house which triggered the explosion, arrested

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Panic gripped locals in Shanti Vihar area of Sonipat in Haryana after explosive material at a house in the locality caught fire allegedly due to a short circuit, triggering an explosion on Monday. The owner of the house has been arrested, police said.

According to Civil Line Police Station Incharge Ravindra Kumar, “The blast took place at the house of a man identified as Irfan in the Shanti Vihar area of Sonipat district. Explosive material, sulphur mixed with potash, was kept at the house due to which the explosion took place. A part of his room in the house was blown away, and some plastic furniture was burnt.”

The official further said that as soon as the blast took place, panic gripped residents in the area, after which the information was given to Sonipat Police.

Shortly after receiving the information, police and a bomb disposal squad reached the spot for investigation.

The official said that there were no injuries or casualties in the blast incident.

“We have arrested Irfan and registered a case against him under sections of Indian Penal Code 285 and the Indian Explosives Act,” said Kumar.

Further details into the matter are awaited.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

USA to return 1,414 ancient Murtis and artifacts, including Met Museum displays which were illegally taken from India, largest restitution so far

A batch of 1,414 antiquities is set to return to India from the United States. Reports citing government sources claim that the objects have already been given to the Consulate General of India in New York.

The antiquities will include objects displayed in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Museum). Sources say that as per procedure, a team from the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is being sent to the US for verification of the objects, after which the repatriation process can be initiated.

The ASI team will also authenticate the objects as “antiquities” or “non-antiquities”. ASI officials said the new batch of 1,414 objects is likely to include non-antiquities as well, and will be ranked accordingly, keeping the definition of “antiquity” in mind.

No specific details regarding their age or region have been provided to the ASI at this stage. However, the US authorities have reportedly said that the 1,414 objects from different sources seem to be of “Indian provenance”.

As per the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, antiquity is defined as “any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship; any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave; any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages; any article, object or thing of historical interest” that “has been in existence for not less than 100 years”.

Non-antiquities are generally decorative objects and idols, or replicas of original art objects used for ornamental purposes.

A joint investigation by The Indian Express in March revealed that a treasure trove at the Met was traced to antique dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was serving a prison term in Tamil Nadu for smuggling antiquities.

On 22nd March, the Supreme Court of the State of New York had issued a warrant against the Met giving the authorities ten days to seize the antiquities.

On 30th March, the Met had issued a statement saying it would “transfer 15 sculptures for return to the Government of India, after having learned that the works were illegally removed from India”. 10 of the 15 items in the search warrant were flagged in The Indian Express report.

Earlier, in July, the Indian government had said the objects from the Met were expected to arrive in the next three to six months. 105 antiquities were handed over by the US authorities to the Indian Consulate in New York on 17th July, and repatriated to India in August. The Met’s objects were not among them.

Dagestan, Russia: Muslim mob storms airport searching for Jews to kill after flight lands from Tel Aviv, shouts ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ looking for Israelis to lynch

On 29th October (local time), an armed Muslim mob stormed into the main airport in Russia’s Dagestan region, searching for Jews to kill. The incident took place minutes after a flight originating from Tel Aviv, Israel, landed at the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of Muslim-majority Dagestan. Out of the 3.2 million population in the region, around 83% are Muslims. Videos of the incident went viral on social media.

In one of the videos, a mob can be seen charging towards the plane and a flight attendant rushing the passengers back inside to ensure safety. Police were called to the scene to control the situation. As per Russian news, the mob at the airport was raising anti-Semitic slogans, chanting “Allah Hu Akbar” and holding Palestinian flags. The plane they tried to attack belonged to Red Wings, a Russian carrier.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem has released a statement that the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with the Russian authorities. The statement read, “The State of Israel views grave attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews anywhere.” The Foreign Ministry urged the Russian law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews. The statement read, “Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to safeguard all Israeli citizens and Jews, whoever they may be, and to take robust action against the rioters and against the unbridled incitement being directed at Jews and Israelis.”

As per Times of Israel, an eyewitness said around 50 men approached the airplane and asked if there were Jews among the passengers. The mob demanded to see the passport of the eyewitness, who had a Russian passport. Notably, there were Dagestani children on the plane who had undergone medical treatment in Israel.

The Muslim mob had responded to a call made on a Telegram channel to arrive at the airport to confront passengers coming from Israel. The messages in the Telegram channel called on rioters to “avenge Gaza”. The flight landed at Makhachkala Airport at around 7 PM (local time). The transit flight that was attacked by the Muslim mob was scheduled to take off for Moscow two hours after landing at the Makhachkala airport.

Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis.” Following the incident, the airport was closed for flights, and security forces arrived to maintain law and order.

Degastan is a Muslim-majority state in Russia. The Muslim insurgency has been a problem for both federal and local authorities for years as they have struggled to subdue the increasing number of Muslims in the region. There are Jews in the region, but most of them are concentrated in Derbent, which is located near the border with Azerbaijan. The situation in the region is so tense that the Israelis traveling at Degastani border crossings are kept apart from the general passenger population to ensure their safety.

Reports stated that the flight was later diverted to another airport, but the passengers faced a violent mob there too.

Israel Hamas War

On 7th October (local time), Hamas launched the worst terrorist attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals, including children, the elderly and women. Over 200 people were taken hostage by the Hamas terrorists. Women were raped, children were killed in front of their parents, the elderly were shot dead point black in their homes, Israeli soldiers were killed, and the terrorists mutilated their bodies during the attack. Israel launched a counter-strike on Hamas. So far, around 8,000 lives have been lost in Israeli air strikes. Israel has warned the civilians multiple times to evacuate, but reports suggest that Hamas terrorists keeps stopping them. Meanwhile, India launched Operation Ajay to rescue Indians from Israel. On 30th October, the Israel-Hamas war entered its 23rd day.

Andhra Pradesh: 6 dead and over 40 injured after passenger train collides with another passenger train in Vizianagaram district

6 persons died and several others were injured on 29th October (Sunday) after two passenger trains collided in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district. The incident happened after a passenger train that was heading to Rayagada from Visakhapatnam derailed after colliding with another train in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, Divisional Railway Manager said. 

As per the initial information, at least six passengers died and around 40 others sustained injuries after Visakhapatnam Rayagada Express (train no 08504) collided with Visakhapatnam – Palasa Passenger Special (train no 08532) from behind near Alamanda-Kankatapalli in Vizianagaram. Due to the collision, three coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada train, as per officials. The rescue operation is underway. The number of casualties could go up.

East Central Railway CPRO said, “Bogies derailed after a train travelling along with passengers from Vizianagaram to Raigad hit a passenger train travelling on the same route Vishakapatnam to Palasa.”

“Injuries reported but figures yet to be known. Two trains were involved in the accident. The rescue and restoration process is on,” the railway official was quoted saying in India TV.

According to news agency ANI, the Divisional Railway Manager noted that there was a rear collision between the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger train and the Visakhapatnam-Ragada passenger train. 

He added, “Three coaches were involved in the accident and ten were injured. Rescue operations are underway, Local administration and NDRF were informed for assistance and ambulances. Accident relief trains reached the site.” 

The Railway ministry has released helping numbers for enquiries about the incident.

Chief Minister orders immediate relief measures

Following the incident, the Chief Minister’s Office informed that CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had ordered immediate relief measures and diverted as many ambulances as possible from nearby districts. CM has directed all government departments including health, police, and revenue to provide assistance to the injured and provide all necessary medical services. 

“CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy ordered to take immediate relief measures and to send as many ambulances as possible from Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli, the nearest districts of Vizianagaram, and to make all kinds of arrangements in nearby hospitals to provide good medical care. The Chief Minister has issued orders to coordinate other government departments including health, police, and revenue to take quick-relief measures and ensure that the injured receive prompt medical services,” Andhra Pradesh CMO was quoted saying by ANI. 

Himachal Pradesh: SIT carries out searches at 41 locations in connection with cryptocurrency scam, arrests another main accused, 10 arrested so far

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On 29th October (Sunday), police said that the SIT probing the alleged cryptocurrency scam conducted searches at 41 different locations in Himachal Pradesh. During these raids, they arrested one of the main accused Abhishek Sharma, who had been evading arrest so far.

According to the Police, Abhishek is a resident of the Una district and he was one of the four main accused in the scam that started in 2018. Back then, they approached people with an investment plan related to a locally made (Mandi district) cryptocurrency known as “Korvio Coin” or KRO coin, police added.

Earlier, the police arrested the other two main accused Sukhdev and Hemraj in Gujarat. During investigations, they confessed that they have outstanding liabilities of Rs 400 crore. However, the fourth accused in the case, Subash is also the alleged kingpin of the scam. He is still at large and is reportedly hiding in Dubai.

A statement issued by the police said that Abhishek was apprehended by the SIT and produced in a court, which remanded him to five-day police custody.   

According to the statement, the agency conducted searches at 25 places in Hamirpur, seven in Kangra, four in Bilaspur, two each in Mandi, Una, and one in Solan district.

During these searches, they also recovered crucial evidence, including incriminating documents, property records, mobile phones, and other digital devices, the statement added.

Speaking to PTI, DGP Sanjay Kundu said that the evidence collected during these searches will play a vital role in our ongoing investigation. The senior police official added that it brings them one step closer to holding the culprits accountable for their actions. 

DGP added that so far 10 people have been arrested in this multi-crore cryptocurrency fraud case.

According to the police, the scammers lured innocent people by promising handsome returns in a short span of time and built a network of investors. Three to four kinds of cryptocurrencies were used and fake websites were created, in which the cryptocurrencies’ prices were manipulated and inflated, police added.

The SIT investigations revealed that more than one lakh individuals were duped in the alleged fraud. Around 2.5 lakh IDs have been found which include multiple IDs of the same person in connection with this case. 

The officials said that the accused used a combination of misinformation, deception, and threats to maintain control over the scheme causing huge financial losses to the victims. The victims also include more than a thousand police personnel who had fallen prey to the fraud. 

According to the officials, while a majority of the police personnel were duped of crores of rupees, some of them made huge gains, opted for the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), and became its promoters.

The DGP had earlier assured that the investigation was progressing in an organised and planned manner. The senior Police official added that all those involved in the scam will be dealt with strictly according to law. 

In the wake of these scams, Police have constantly warned the general public to remain vigilant and exercise caution on such investment schemes, particularly in the cryptocurrency space. Cryptocurrency is a digital currency meant to function as a medium of exchange over a computer network. It is not dependent on any central authority, like a government or a bank, to regulate or maintain it.

Thousands of Gazans plunder UN aid centre and steal supplies, UNRWA says it is “Sign that civil order is starting to break down in Gaza”

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On 29th October (Sunday), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) informed that thousands of people plundered warehouses and distribution centres of the UN aid centres in Gaza to grab flour and other basic survival items. In a statement, the UNRWA warned that these are worrying signs that “civil order” is on the brink of a breakdown in the Palestinian enclave. 

UNRWA’s Gaza chief Thomas White said, “This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza.” 

The UNRWA said that one of the warehouses in the central town of Deir el-Balah had been used to store supplies from humanitarian convoys that began crossing into Gaza from Egypt on 21st October. 

It added, “Thousands of people broke into several UNRWA warehouses and distribution centres in the middle and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, taking wheat flour and other basic survival items like hygiene supplies.” 

A spokesperson for the agency Juliette Touma stated that the crowds broke into four facilities on Saturday. She added that the warehouses did not contain any fuel, which has been in critically short supply since Israel cut off all shipments after the start of the war.

(Thousands of Gazans plundered UN aid centres and stole flour and basic amenities)
(Image Source – AFP/BBC)

AFP news agency has published images in which people could be seen carrying food bags on Saturday as they stormed the supply centre in Deir el-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip.

During the initial phase of the Israel-Hamas war, the Jewish state originally imposed a total blockade on food, water, medicine, and fuel deliveries into Gaza. However, it later allowed humanitarian aid convoys — excluding fuel — to bring supplies in from Egypt. It also resumed some of its water supply. 

According to UNRWA, since then 84 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza but the numbers are far too low. Before the conflict, UN figures showed an average of 500 trucks a day entering Gaza carrying suppllies. It is notable that even during peacetime, Gaza is completely dependent on external aids.

UNRWA’s Gaza chief White added, “Supplies on the market are running out while the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip on trucks from Egypt is insufficient. The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meager and inconsistent.” 

A senior spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP) asserted that the raids at several aid distribution centres in Gaza on 28th October (Saturday) were “expected” as people are facing difficult conditions. 

Speaking to the BBC, Abeer Etefa said, “The bottom line is that people are desperate, they are hungry.” Etefa argued that phone and internet blackouts may have contributed to the events at the warehouses and distribution centres. She said that the WFP had to halt its distribution of food because it was unable to communicate with teams on the ground. But we’re resuming today now that the service is coming slowly back.

UNRWA was established in 1949 after the first Arab-Israeli war. It provides public services including schools, primary healthcare, and humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

J&K: Police inspector Masroor Ahmad Wani shot in Srinagar while playing cricket, LeT backed The Resistance Front claims responsibility

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A police officer from Jammu and Kashmir was shot and severely wounded by terrorists in downtown Srinagar on 29 October when he was playing cricket at an Eidgah ground with several local youngsters. The wounded was identified as police inspector Masroor Ahmad Wani. The cop was swiftly transported to a hospital after the incident. According to reports, he is receiving medical attention and his condition is considered critical.

A pistol was used by the terrorists to carry out the crime. The Resistance Front (TRF), a terrorist group supported by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba has taken responsibility for the attack, according to police sources who added that CCTV has been scanned to obtain further information about the perpetrators. They also revealed that Momin and Basit Dar, two terrorists from LeT are operating in the region.

Security has been tightened and the area has been cordoned off to track the assailants. Meanwhile, a case has been registered by the police as well.

The development transpired just a few days after Pakistan Rangers engaged in an unprovoked firing and bombarded at the international border with mortars and injured two members of the Border Security Force (BSF) and a civilian on 26 October. Dozens of locals have fled their houses in search of safety as a result of the shelling that is targeting residential areas.

Key officials from Jammu and Kashmir as well as representatives from other security agencies attended a high-level conference that was called on 25 October at the headquarters of the 15 Corps in Srinagar. The involvement of foreign terrorists in Kashmir was one of the main subjects covered during the meeting. Notably, five Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were eliminated earlier on 26 October in an encounter between them and security forces in the Machhal area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Only nine of the 46 terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year were locals, while 37 of them were of Pakistani descent, based on official figures. In the 33-year history of terrorism in the Union Territory, this is the first time that the number of foreign terrorists murdered has quadrupled over the number of local terrorists.

The Resistance Front

The Resistance Front or TRF is a separatist terrorist organisation involved in the ongoing insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian security agencies accuse it of being an offshoot of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). It operates primarily in the Kashmir region with a main base in Srinagar.

It was founded by Sheikh Sajjad Gul of Srinagar and Muhammad Abbas Sheikh of Kulgam, a former Hizbul Mujahideen commander after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. It is considered the deadliest and biggest terrorist outfit in the current era of Kashmir militancy. It carried out dozens of attacks across Jammu and Kashmir targeting Indian security forces, pro-Indian politicians, Hindu activists, non-Kashmiri migrant laborers and Kashmiri pundits.

Importantly, the terror outfit claimed credit for the Anantnag incident on 14 September and alleged that the attack was carried out as payback for the assassination of their terrorist Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim inside the Al-Qudus mosque in Rawalkot, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak and Deputy Superintendent of Police Humayun Bhat were killed in action during an encounter with terrorists in the Kokorenag area of Anantnag.

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