Hizb over ground worker arrested in J&K's Kishtwar district

A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen over ground worker (OGW), tasked to revive militancy in Jammu and Kashmir's Chinab valley, was arrested from Kishtwar district in the state, police said Monday.

The OGW was identified as Aiyaz Ahmad Wani. His brothers Riyaz Ahmad Wani and Niyaz Ahmad Wani, both of whom were militants, were killed in encounters with security forces in 1993 and 2003 respectively.

On specific information that a Hizb OGW was camping in Kishtwar town, police teams raided various places in the district and arrested Aiyaz on Sunday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kishtwar, Rajinder Gupta, told PTI.

He was immediately taken to an unknown place for sustained interrogation, the officer said.

Gupta said Aiyaz is being sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) for further questioning about the terror group's plans to revive militancy in Doda-Kishtwar districts.

Police said Aiyaz, the son of Abdul Ahmad Wani and a resident of Beli village in Doda district, was at present putting up at Machian in Doda.

He was also working as the Doda district president of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, sources said.

They said Aiyaz was in contact with terrorists in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and others for reviving militancy in Doda and Kishtwar districts.

Police are conducting more raids in different parts of the town and have not ruled out more arrests in connection to the case.