Shopian: A school of Shopian has come under the scrutiny of the investigating agencies after 13 students of a religious school in Shopian district in South Kashmir were found to be involved in terrorist groups. Officials gave this information.
Sajjad Bhat had studied from the same institute, who was an accused in a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in February 2019.
According to officials, the students studying in this school are mainly from Kulgam, Pulwama and Anantnag districts of South Kashmir. Intelligence agencies consider these areas sensitive to terrorism and the center of recruitment of local people in many terrorist groups.
Officials said that children from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana have also been studying in this school, but their number has almost not increased since the end of Article 370 last year.
Shopian and Pulwama promote terrorism
According to an official, most of the students and teachers of the school come from the terror-hit Shopian and Pulwama districts, so the ideology of terrorism may be flourishing there and it is also likely to affect the children coming from elsewhere.
He also said that it seems that the external environment, local population, activities related to terrorism and the killing of terrorists in regular encounters also reinforce the ideology of terrorism.
On February 14 last year, 40 soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama. During the investigation of the case, intelligence agencies came to know that Bhat, the owner of the vehicle used in the attack, had studied school from this religious educational institution in Shopian district.
In the list of students involved in its terrorism, the latest name Zubair Nengaru was associated. Nengru, the so-called commander of the banned al-Badr terrorist organization, was killed in August this year and he was also a student of this school.
According to an internal report, there are at least 13 listed terrorists and hundreds of over-ground workers (OGWs) who are either students of this institution or have studied in it before.
Recently, a young man from Baramulla was missing who was coming to school from home after the end of holidays. It was later revealed that he had become part of the terrorist group.
The report says, “Most of these 13 terrorists are residents of Shopian and Pulwama.”
Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Nazim Nazir Dar and Aijaz Ahmad Paul are also named in this list. Paul died in an encounter on August 4 in Shopian.
Officials believe that such institutions are centers of recruitment in terrorist organizations such as Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Al-Badr and Lashkar-e-Taiba where the slain terrorists are described as heroes.
An official said, “These factors leave a deep impression in the minds of the students and they are drawn to terrorism by being influenced by society and friends. In many cases, it has been learned that the education of such religious institutions is inciting students to join terrorist groups. ‘
It has been said in the report that many students have been involved in stone pelting, agitation and disturbing the law and order situation on the security forces.
It said, “These students can spread the message of hatred and separatism ideology against the government.”