Arrested woman SPO a suspected OGW of militants: J&K Police

Srinagar: A day after a woman special police officer (SPO) was arrested in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir for “glorifying militancy”, police on Saturday said the accused was on its radar as a suspected over-ground worker (OGW) of militants.

The police also said it has been found that on various media platforms, a number of “vested interests” with “mala fide intentions” have put in a lot of efforts into making the incident appear like an “over-reach” and an “excessively strict action”.

The police”s remarks came after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) criticised the arrest and termination from service of SPO Saima Akhter.

“It is clarified that the accused woman uttered anti-India and pro-freedom slogans off-camera, thus inviting penal action…,” a police spokesman said.

He said the uttering made on-camera was live streamed for “further dissemination” on diverse social media platforms with the “intention to cause disruption” of an ongoing operation and to “incite disaffection” towards the State.

“This is punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the UA(P)Act,” he said.

Also, the spokesman said, the accused being a police employee is bound by a code of conduct that was “brazenly violated” by her.

“Thus, the concurrent departmental action has been taken against her,” he added.

The spokesman said the household of the accused is a suspected shelter point of an active Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant — Aslam Dar — and the woman has been on the police radar as a suspected OGW and thus was subjected to search.

“It remains to be investigated whether her act was meant as a disruption tactic to aid escape of the said militant when the search operation was underway,” he said, adding, “it is thus requested that no heed should be paid towards those trying to paint the incident in any hue other than a criminal act.” (PTI)