Threatening posters warning telecommunication employees to wind up their business have ‘resurfaced’ in restive Sopore Town as fresh attack on Wednesday late evening worsened already hit mobile services in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, several residents told Srinagar based news agency GNS today.
Residents said they found posters of suspected militant group –Lashkar-e-Islam – pasted in several localities including Arampora. The posters once again asked people associated with telecommunication companies to wind up their business or “they would be killed”. The warning has also been issued to the people hosting mobile towers and the group has threatened them with death if they don’t stop operations of these towers.
Given the threats and spate of attacks, the private mobile companies have already suspended their operations and on Thursday several other areas were also affected following an attack by motor-cycle borne gunmen yesterday at Pattan in the district.
The gunmen barged into a residential house and fired upon the brother of a landlord for “not shutting down” the operations of mobile mast in their compound.
However, the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited functioned normally across the district including Sopore, a scribe told GNS. He said all other companies have suspended operations.
As reported earlier, the fear-stricken employees have preferred to sit at their homes rather than joining duties.
Sources in police said that “high-level probe” is going on in the matter. “People are being picked up for questioning and many of them have been released as they were found innocent,” they said. “But,” they were quick to add “the police are clueless so far about Lashkar-e-Islam.”
The people in those areas where the cell phones aren’t working said they are facing extreme difficulties. “The students and businessmen are most hit,” they said.
Despite repeated attempts, no police officer was ready to speak on the matter on record. However, a top police officer on the condition of anonymity said that “they will get a breakthrough in couple of days”.
Meanwhile, the police in Handwara area of Kupwara district convened a meeting of landlords who host mobile towers and urged them to immediately report to them in case they get threats, sources said.
