Probe widens: ATS on trail of ‘Kashmir links’ to meat units, madrasas and students

In Sambhal, the ATS and local police flagged 52 Kashmir-origin security guards working at local meat processing units; operators of these units sent back 13 guards to J&K on Monday, while preparations were on to also send back the remaining 39 guards

PRAYAGRAJ/LUCKNOW Widening probe into suspected sleeper cells in western Uttar Pradesh after the arrest of Kashmir resident Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather from Saharanpur, the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) intensified checks across multiple districts, focusing on Kashmir links to private security agencies hired by meat companies, medical professionals, students and unregulated madrasas across the state.

Earlier, an I-T department report, prepared after raids on half a dozen meat companies nearly three years ago, had raised suspicion that some Kashmiri-run security agencies deployed in these units could be linked to funding channels of radical Islamist organisations. (Pic for representation)

In Sambhal, the ATS and local police flagged 52 Kashmir-origin security guards working at local meat processing units. Officials confirmed that the operators of these units sent back 13 guards to J&K on Monday, while preparations were underway to also send back the remaining 39 guards.

“Suspicion arises over activities of authorities of processing units as to why they suddenly initiated this process in the midst of the verification process of Kashmiris living in Sambhal, in the backdrop of Delhi terror blast,” a police official said.

The current statewide scrutiny traces back to income tax raids on Sambhal’s meat processing units and other meat exporters of Bareilly, where investigators first found that security duties at several units were handled by Kashmiri-origin agencies and personnel. With renewed intelligence inputs, the ATS has reactivated and expanded its probe into the network.

Earlier, an I-T department report, prepared after raids on half a dozen meat companies nearly three years ago, had raised suspicion that some Kashmiri-run security agencies deployed in these units could be linked to funding channels of radical Islamist organisations. The report suggested a possible connection to anti-national activities, prompting a multi-layered verification process.

SP (Sambhal) KK Bishnoi said police in the home districts of Kashmiri guards have also been asked to verify their credentials.

In Pilibhit, the ATS has sought detailed lists of doctors, MBBS students, BAMS students and staff members working at the autonomous state medical college and the Ayurvedic Medical College. Photos of doctors and information about their vehicles have also been requested. The move comes after names of certain doctors surfaced during the ongoing probe into the Delhi blast case.

Given Pilibhit’s proximity to the Nepal border, security agencies remain on heightened alert.

The local police in Deoband launched a door-to-door tenant verification campaign, checking over 200 houses to identify outsiders living without proper documents or those who may have come in contact with suspected recruiters.

It is suspected that Dr Adeel may have attempted to influence Kashmiri students at a local medical college and seminary, and possibly tried to radicalise vulnerable hospital visitors.

Meanwhile, as part of a larger investigation into terror networks in wake of the recent bomb blast in Delhi, the UP ATS asked district minority welfare officials in Prayagraj and adjoining districts to furnish detailed information on students, teachers (maulanas) and management staff associated with all madrasas operating in the region, said officials.

Dr Shaheen Shahid, suspected to be a key figure associated with the Delhi blast, had completed her MBBS and MD (Pharmacology) from Motilal Nehru Medical College in Prayagraj. Following the blast, intelligence agencies visited the college to gather information about her. Now, the ATS has issued a formal missive urging the medical college to furnish relevant details about individuals with certain backgrounds connected to the institution.

The ATS also sought details from all 206 madrasas in the district, asking for information about the number of teachers and students, as well as their place of origin. The authorities are particularly interested in whether any individuals from J&K have ties with Pakistan, or if any faculty members have recently travelled to foreign countries, including Pakistan.

Krishna Murari, district minority welfare officer, confirmed that detailed information is being collected about madrasa administrators and teachers. “We are working on compiling the requested data and will submit it to relevant authorities,” he said.