The crackdown in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack gathered pace in Kashmir, with security forces conducting massive combing operations in the forests surrounding Pahalgam and the state police intensifying its crackdown on suspected terror sympathisers across the Valley.
After the homes of two local men suspected to be involved in the Pahalgam attack were demolished late Thursday night, the residences of four more have been demolished in south Kashmir, also using explosives.
Sources say the operations were intensified after Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked security agencies to take tough measures to root out terrorists and their support structure.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has been directed by the Union Home Ministry to take over the investigation from J&K Police, has registered a fresh FIR. It also recreated the crime scene with the help of eyewitnesses and recorded their statements.
According to officials, the combing operations are being conducted by the Army, the police and the paramilitary forces.
The Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam is connected through dense forest to Kokernag in the south, Kishtwar forests in the southwest, Sonamarg and Amarnath cave shrine in the north, and Tral and Dachigam National Park in the northwest. The Dachigam National Park is in the vicinity of Srinagar city, while Kishtwar forest further connects it to Doda and other parts of the Jammu region.
“The searches have been going on for the last three days,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express. “The forces are moving slowly and cautiously from different directions.”
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
