J&K: TRF issues 'death threats' to employees involved in demolition drive

The Resistance Front (TRF) purportedly issued death threats to all those employees taking part in the ongoing demolitions of illegal structures on government lands in Jammu and Kashmir. The demolitions became a wide concern despite the LG Manoj Sinha-led administration assuring not to touch properties of common man.

Srinagar (J&K): Amid a massive anti-encroachment drive in Jammu and Kashmir by the LG Manoj Sinha led administration, a militant group has issued purported death threats to employees taking part in the demolition drives. “When the properties of Resistance Lovers are being destroyed, you are watching as mute spectators but Resistance Fighters will fight for your cause for the sake of Allah,” a 7-pointer purported statement by the blog 'Kashmirfight' reads.

The blog is believed to be run by The Resistance Front (TRF), said to be a shadow organisation of Lashkar outfit. In the statement, the TRF said that it will “target and kill anyone who’s either the owner or driver of these bulldozers or JCBs”. It said that it will “target and kill anyone who is working in revenue department from Peon to Clerk to Patwari, Naib Tehsildar or Tehsildar or DC involved or not”.

“Whosoever is working in this department is on the Target List,” it said. The TRF also asked the common people to target the houses of the “perpetrators”. “General public should burn down the houses of all those perpetrators and target these people from revenue department if they’re living in your neighbourhood, we will be at your back and take the responsibility of these acts.

If we are not around your area, general public can do it by themselves and the guys doing it will be welcomed in Resistance Fighters ranks,” the statement reads. “There will be no distinction between good employee and bad employee, everyone will be staring down the barrel of Resistance Fighters gun,” it said. The properties of these employees “will get targeted", it added. “The sword of Resistance Fighters will be always hanging not only on their heads but also on their near and dear ones,” reads the statement.

Significantly, Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Junaid Azim Mattu, who is affiliated to the Apni Party believed to be close to the BJP, said that he had received a “very open and direct threat within minutes” of his tweet demanding that the anti-encroachment drive “aimed at retrieving state land from influential encroachers should not be allowed to be misused by professional blackmailers and extortionists to extort money”.

“Will face your smear campaigns and media hit-jobs - with a smile. But this political-media extortion nexus has to be called out and it has to be stopped,” Mattu said. He further said that the “brazen instances of extortion by a news agency and a news network are shocking”. In the massive anti-encroachment drive, properties of senior politicians and their relatives allegedly built on state land have been demolished.

However, fears of such demolitions have alarmed the common people even as the LG Sinha led administration has said it “will not touch common people”.