Waving of ISIS flags: Police to keep vigil on Fridays

Adil Lateef

SRINAGAR: Following frequent appearance of flags of so called Islamic State, the security agencies have decided to keep a tight vigil in old city particularly after Friday congregational prayers.

Security agencies, including police, would keep a tight vigil on youths in and around Jamia Masjid and Nowhatta after Friday prayers, sources said.

The masked youth have regularly surfaced waving black flags of ISIS in these areas recently.

It was outside Jamia Masjid when ISIS flags first appeared in Kashmir this year on July 11.

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Last week, soon after Friday prayers, youth staged an anti-India demonstration outside Jamia Masjid and waved an ISIS flag. Meanwhile, the security agencies including police and army have started extensive investigations into such incidents.

The army, police and other security agencies have activated their wings to identify these youths. They are also investigating whether they are just sympathizers or beyond that as the group has attracted thousands across the world towards Jihad, sources said.

So far, the security and intelligence agencies have ruled out the possibility of presence of ISIS in Kashmir.

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, also said that the group has no presence in Kashmir and those waving Islamic State flags were a bunch of idiots.

A Kashmir youth based in Australia had reportedly joined the ISIS, the Chief Minister said few months ago.

Before devastating floods, police in Srinagar had questioned several youths including a cameraperson working with a Mumbai-based news channel. However, no one was booked, police had said.

Recently, the Chief Minister in Delhi said that few youths have been arrested while a tailor who allegedly made ISIS flags has been identified and the action would be initiated against him. gns

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