4 more ultras’ houses razed, scores detained in Kashmir

Four more houses of militants were “demolished” in as many districts on Saturday as security forces intensified their crackdown in south Kashmir to hunt down the Pahalgam suspects and their sympathisers. Over 2,000 persons, including 175 from Anantnag district, have been detained in the past few days.

The houses belonging to Ahsan-ul-Haq Sheikh of Muran in Pulwama district, Zakir Ahmad of Matalhama, Kulgam, and Shahid Ahmad Kuttay of Chotipora, Shopian and Farooq Teedwa of Kalaroos area in Kupwara, were demolished overnight on Saturday.

With the fresh demolitions, the total number of houses razed in the wake of the massacre has gone up to six. Sources told The Tribune Ahsan was linked to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and had been active ever since he joined militancy in 2023.

Zakir, a worker, had been missing since September 2023 and had also joined the LeT outfit, the sources said. The third militant, Shahid Ahmad Kuttay, from Shopian district too had been missing since 2023 and is said to have joined the LeT/The Resistance Front (TRF). Farooq is learnt to have crossed the Line of Control in 1990s but never returned, said officials.

Local residents said they heard a huge blast in their area. Several nearby houses were damaged in the explosion at Ahsan-ul-Haq Sheikh’s residence. Neighbours said they had been punished for no fault of their own. “If our neighbour is at fault, why have we been punished?” said a neighbour.

On the night of April 24-25, the houses of LeT militants Adil Thoker and Asif Sheikh, both from south Kashmir, were “demolished using explosives”. The police said Adil of Guree village in Anantnag had conspired with two Pakistan nationals to carry out the Tuesday’s killings in Pahalgam that left 25 tourists and a local dead. His name had figured among the three suspects who, the police said, had carried out the killings.

His family had claimed that explosives were planted inside their joint family house before it was blown up. The police, however, said “suspicious objects” stored inside the house had led to the blast.

The police were yet to issue a statement on the demolitions, but sources said the action was aimed at sending out a strong message to those joining militancy.

The demolitions come amid massive search and cordon operations across Anantnag district to curb terrorism and its ecosystem. Numerous raids were being conducted at various locations throughout the district, the police said.

“Day and night search operations are underway with heightened vigilance. So far, around 175 suspected have been detained for questioning to dismantle the support networks aiding terrorist activities,” the police said.

Additional mobile vehicle checkpoints had been set up across the district to monitor suspicious movements.

J & K