Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Bandipora Police have claimed to have unearthed an alleged clandestine module linked to the banned organisation Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen, arresting six people in a case that investigators say involves separatist propaganda, prison-based coordination and suspicious financial transactions. Police maintain that the network was operating under the direction of a Pakistan-based handler.
According to police, the investigation has revealed suspected links involving coordination from within a prison, covert meetings held to propagate separatist ideology, and the movement of money. The alleged network is also said to have targeted women for propaganda purposes, and to have organised gatherings meant to mobilise support for the objectives of the proscribed outfit, with the assistance of another inmate.
An FIR, numbered 168/2026, has been registered at Police Station Bandipora under Sections 10 and 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, as amended. The two provisions deal with membership of an unlawful association and with punishment for unlawful activities, and are routinely invoked in cases involving banned organisations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Six people have been arrested so far. They have been identified as Mubeena Bano, daughter of Gh Ahmad Dar, a resident of Dachigam in Bandipora; Waheed Ahmad Bhat, son of Mohd Maqbool Bhat, a resident of Bhat Mohallah, Kachloo Qazipora in Handwara, Kupwara district; Kushboo Jan, daughter of Ab Rashid Sheikh; Mehak Jan, daughter of Mohd Sultan Sheikh; and Aliya Jan, daughter of Ab Rashid Sheikh, all residents of Check Panzigam in Bandipora; and Irfan Ahmed Reshi, also known as Rayees, son of Gh Nabi Reshi, a resident of Ananwan in Handwara.
The reference to prison-based contacts is likely to draw particular attention. Security agencies in the Union Territory have in recent years repeatedly flagged the possibility of detainees and inmates acting as links between handlers across the border and operatives on the ground, and the present case adds to that concern. The allegation that women were deliberately targeted for outreach also points to what police describe as an effort to widen the circle of support for the banned organisation beyond its traditional base.
It must be emphasised that the claims made so far are those of the police and remain allegations at this stage. Those arrested are entitled to the presumption of innocence, and the evidence gathered by investigators will have to stand the test of scrutiny before a court of law. The police have not disclosed the quantum of funds allegedly involved or the identity of the purported handler.
Officials have indicated that the investigation is continuing, and that further details will be shared as the probe progresses. The case once again places the focus on the enforcement of the UAPA in north Kashmir, where the balance between security imperatives and due process remains a subject of sustained public debate.
