Two Militants Behind Killing of Social Media Influencer Shot Dead in Kashmir: Police

Kashmiri residents considered sympathetic to Indian government forces have always been a target of militant groups which are seeking the region's independence or its merger with Pakistan. This year suspected militants have killed 16 civilians for allegedly working with government forces. Social media influencer Amreena Bhat is the latest victim.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday revealed that they have shot dead four militants, including the two responsible for the killing of female social media influencer Amreena Bhat earlier this week, in two different gun battles.

The two Kashmiri residents, Shakir Ahmed and Afreen Aftab, were members of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit, the police said on Friday.

"They were responsible for killing Amreena Bhat, who was a social media influencer and worked as a television actress," police added.

They were eliminated in a military operation carried out jointly by the Indian Army and the Kashmir police, the army said in a statement on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar city, Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Division, said both the killed militants, responsible for the social media influencer's death, were new recruits.

“They had killed the TV actress on the instruction of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Lateef,” IGP Kumar said.

The official added that a total of 10 terrorists were eliminated in three days which included three members of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit and the LeT.

Authorities however remain concerned about the law-and-order situation in the region.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, said that officials apprehend that murder of a social media influencer might be part of a broader plan to target civilians who have gained popularity on the internet or are accused by militants of being close to the government.

In August last year, local body builder and social media influencer, Meeran Ali Pathan, was killed by suspected militants in a similar fashion.

The militants, belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF) which the police describe to be an offshoot of LeT, had accused Pathan of dealing in drugs and being backed by pro-India counter-insurgency groups.

However, no such statement seems to have been released by militant groups after the killing of Amreena.

"Two people came to her house to call her for a shoot. When she stepped outside the house, they killed her," Amreena's relation Zubair told reporters after she was killed.

It is yet to be clearly ascertained why Amreena was targeted but police speculate that the killers might have suspected she was close to government or considered her social media activity contrary to Islamic beliefs.

“In the last five years, police in Kashmir managed to decimate local command centres of militant groups by sweeping their overground worker (OGW) network which provides logistical help to militants. Now new faces, which have yet to be revealed fully to the authorities, are helping the OGW network. New militants mean new targets,” a senior police official told Sputnik.

Another senior police official told Sputnik that the "sub-group of militant outfits are taking decisions on their own", the "decisions" regarding killing of civilians who are thought to be close to the government.

"There are some very young militants who are concerned about what they call issues of morality. They consider activities of some social media influencers contrary to Islamic beliefs or pro-government,” he said.

The official added that militant leadership allegedly based in Pakistan was not “interfering in daily operations” of their local cadres in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, local government officials say that besides providing ample security to civilians considered soft targets by militant groups, the security establishment is working on ensuring a smooth annual Amarnath Yatra (pilgrimage) .

The government expects 800,000 pilgrims may visit the Hindu shrine located in the militancy-prone south Kashmir region.

A militant group has already issued threatening statements against the pilgrimage, prompting authorities to take countermeasures.