J&K police inspect mobile towers vulnerable to attack

Earlier, Lashkar-e-Islam had restricted its threats to Sopore area alone, but threatening posters have now surfaced in some areas of the Valley, especially in South Kashmir.

Top police officials told The Sunday Express that they have identified the group responsible for the attacks on people associated with mobile operators in Sopore, however, the police is monitoring the veracity of the threatening posters that have appeared in South Kashmir.

[related-post]

After the appearance of these posters, police have inspected many mobile towers that are vulnerable to attacks.

J&K DGP K Rajendra Kumar said that police is investigating the case. “We are connecting the dots,’’ he said.

Last week, unidentified gunmen attacked a BSNL franchise shop at New Colony in Sopore, killing an employee and injuring two others. They also killed a 62-year-old man who had erected a mobile tower at his house in Dooru Sopore and shot at another person in Pattan who had installed mobile tower at his house.

On Friday, the DGP chaired a high-level meeting in Sopore. Hours after the meeting, unidentified gunmen targeted a BSNL tower in high-security main market Sopore with rifle grenades.

On Friday, posters also appeared in some parts of South Kashmir in which mobile operators were asked to shut down their business. The posters said that many militant commanders were killed because of the mobile system. “We are giving first and last warning to the mobile operators, towers owners and recharge outlet owners to close down operations,’’ read the poster pasted in Khrew.

The series of attacks have left people associated with different mobile companies worried. “We are meeting top officials of BSNL on Monday and only after that will we decide whether to continue business or not,’’ said a BSNL franchise owner.

BSNL General Manager D K Agarwal told The Sunday Express that after threats people associated with the BSNL franchise and mobile tower owners feel scared. “I think the government is taking this issue very seriously,’’ he said.

An official associated with Airtel said people associated with the recharge business are scared. “We don’t want to create trouble for people and have shut services at vulnerable areas,’’ he said. At many places, landlords have started dismantling mobile towers without seeking permission from the companies.