A Special Police Officer resigns in a video message in Jammu and Kashmir
Highlights
- Hizbul Mujahideen threatened cops with "resign or die" threat
- Six policemen have posted resignation videos
- Three policemen were kidnapped and killed in Jammu and Kashmir
The government today alleged "false propaganda" as resignation videos of half-a-dozen policemen surfaced following the kidnapping and killing of three cops in Jammu and Kashmir, just days after Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists had put out a "resign or die" threat.
The three policemen, all Special Police Officers (SPO), were dragged out of their homes in Shopian in south Kashmir before daybreak and killed by terrorists. Their bodies with multiple bullet wounds were found later in an orchard near their village.
Then emerged resignation videos and reports that terrorists were raiding homes and forcing policemen to resign.
"My name is Nawaz Ahmad Lone, resident of Kulgam. I was working as an SPO, I am resigning of my own free will, not because of any compulsion," said one Special Police Officer in a video.
A second Special Police Officer resigns on video in Jammu and Kashmir
Another said on camera he had been an SPO for six years but had resigned on the 17th and had "nothing to do with the police department".
"My name is Shabir Ahmad Thokar son of Ghulam Mohammad Thokar . I was working as an SPO for last 8 years through this video l want tell everybody that from today I have no relation with police department," said a third cop in his video.
The home ministry rubbished the videos, with some officials claiming these were from people who were not SPOs anymore. "Reports have appeared in a section of media that some Special Police Officers (SPOs) in #JammuAndKashmir have resigned. J&K Police have confirmed that these reports are untrue and motivated. These reports are based on false propaganda by mischievous elements," said the ministry in a statement.
A screen grab of the third resignation video posted by a Special Police Officer in Jammu and Kashmir.
The terror threats have been circulating around villages in the region.
On Tuesday, the Hizbul Mujahideen had put out a video threatening to kill security personnel, mainly SPOs, if they didn't resign. The video featured a collage of images of Jammu and Kashmir police, and a voice asked cops to submit their resignations within four days.
"Upload your resignations on the internet or face the consequences," the local head of Umar Majeed group, an offshoot of Hizbul Mujahideen, is heard saying. Security officials said posters carrying threats also come up in many villages.
The threats were directed mainly at SPOs who are an important source of intelligence against terrorists for security agencies. Such policemen are mostly locals who work with security agencies.