New Delhi: Months after Kashmiri Pandit employees in the Valley received online terror threats, investigators have shifted their focus to someone from within the community. Activist Rakesh Handoo, alias Bunty, was arrested from Faridabad on 17 October over the alleged circulation of fabricated militant threat posters targeting minority employees in the Valley.
The arrest followed a complaint by Rohit Raina, a PM package employee posted in North Kashmir’s Baramulla. An FIR was registered on 21 September following which Handoo was summoned for questioning on 26 September.
The police say that Handoo didn’t show up despite several notices.
“The accused failed to join the investigation despite three notices under Section 35(3) of BNSS. It further confirmed our suspicion,” a senior police official told ThePrint.
The case has triggered panic within the Kashmiri Pandit community. A Kashmiri Pandit PM package employee, who didn’t wish to be named, termed it a case of rivalry. “This man Handoo has been very active on social media calling out the hypocrisy of Kashmiri Pandit community members. While doing so, he has hurt the sentiments of a few, and this complaint and FIR is a result of that rivalry,” he said. “During investigation, nothing will be found against him and he will be released.”
A J&K police team from Baramulla arrested Handoo from Greater Faridabad, under section 66F (cyber terrorism) and Section 84C of the Information Technology Act.
“The accused allegedly manipulated and repeatedly circulated terror-related threat material, purportedly issued by Soldier of Resistance/United Liberation Council, on X (Twitter), falsely projecting complainant Rohit Raina as the intended target by altering the original identifying details,” the FIR reads.
The FIR states that the “circulation allegedly created serious apprehension regarding the complainant’s safety.”
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‘Scapegoats of the regime’
Soon after the arrest, Handoo’s two mobile phones were seized for technical examination. And more information was gathered regarding his eight social media posts.
The police said they had obtained an arrest warrant from the court before reaching Faridabad.
“Offences have been found prima facie established during investigation. FSL and technical analysis reports are awaited. Further investigation is underway,” said a senior police official.
The police are further investigating whether Handoo authored, altered or circulated the terror material online.
Handoo had contested Assembly elections from Srinagar’s Hazratbal constituency against National Conference President Farooq Abdullah in 2008.
In August, two threat letters targeting Kashmiri Pandits had surfaced on social media. The letter named around half a dozen people while disclosing their residential details in Jammu. The letter warned Kashmiri Pandits against becoming “scapegoats of the regime”, and also threatened them with consequences.
It also called that the PM package KP employees “white-collar terrorists” working for their “master’s in Delhi.”
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)