Hizbul Mujahideen behind attacks on telecom employees in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday said terror outfit Hizbul Mujhahideen was behind the recent string of attacks on mobile service providers in the Valley.

Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar, on the sidelines of a sports tournament here, told reporters that the banned terror outfit was behind the spate of attacks that left two persons dead.

"According to our information, it is Hizbul Mujhahideen. Undoubtedly it is doing it (the attacks on telecom employees)," he said.

Suspected militants on Monday had shot dead an employee of a BSNL franchisee and injured two others in Sopore town. The father of a sarpanch, who had a mobile transmission tower installed inside his residential compound, was on Tuesday shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Sopore town.

Meanwhile, the DGP said telecom services that were disrupted during the attacks would be restored soon.

"Yesterday we visited Sopore and had a meeting with our officers and other stakeholders, including the civilians, who have been calling us and saying they were facing difficulties. Their businesses have been affected and also the students studying outside were also facing difficulties contacting their families.”

"There will be appropriate action in this. We have chalked out a strategy. It may take some time, but things will be restored back to normal," he said.

"I want to assure you that we will restore the telecom services as soon as possible," Kumar said.

Kumar said the police was investigating the matter and would ensure that the law shall prevail.

"Let me assure all of you... we will take action and we have taken action. We will ensure that the law shall prevail. We cannot allow this to continue further. We are investigating into the matter," the DGP said.

On a question about reports of posters warning mobile service providers to wind up their businesses appearing in other parts of the Valley, the top cop said police has "taken notice of all that".

Asked about Amnesty International and a Jammu and Kashmir minister seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns, the DGP said police was looking into the issue as it wanted to minimise casualties.

"We are looking into these things. We would like to avoid any sort of casualties. We are also concerned. See, they are our own boys and we are certainly concerned about it. We are looking into all aspects as to how to minimise any sort of casualties," he said.

Kumar said the police was trying to refine further after pellet guns created problems.

"See, first we wanted to avoid fatal casualties, so we went for these pellet guns. Now, since pellet guns are also creating some problems, so we are trying to refine further to reduce the casualties. Even if they are not fatal, still we will try to reduce them. We want to avoid casualties. After all they are our boys," he said.

The DGP was speaking to reporters at a press conference, which was organised to announce Police-Public Cricket Premier League here on the pattern of Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

Ten teams will compete in the tournament beginning June 6. "The objective of organising this is to promote sports culture in the state, to provide platform to cricketers to hone their skills and help the cricketers to feel the aroma of IPL at Srinagar," he said.

Police have organised various attractions including laser show, fire dance and music band performances for the opening ceremony of the event.