SRINAGAR, India - Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir have arrested a long-serving counterinsurgency officer for allegedly having ties with rebels fighting against Indian rule in the disputed region, officials said Sunday. Kumar called the arrests a “big operation” and said one of the arrested militants is a top commander of Kashmir’s largest rebel group, Hizbul Mujahideen, who had deserted police ranks in 2017 with four weapons. This is not the first time Indian law enforcement officers have been implicated in rebel activities in Kashmir, one of the most militarized zones in the world. In 2012, Indian police arrested two intelligence officials and two low-ranking police officers for ties with militants in the region. In 2006, three Indian soldiers and two police officers were detained for alleged links with a rebel group.

Source: thestar January 12, 2020 13:41 UTC