Security forces have mounted a large-scale search operation in the upper reaches of Basantgarh in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district after locals reported the presence of two to three suspected terrorists in the densely forested area, officials said. Troops drawn from the Army, J&K Police and paramilitary units are combing rugged terrain and thick vegetation, and while no direct contact has been established so far, the cordon remains in place with surveillance measures strengthened along possible escape routes.
Search Operation in Basantgarh
According to security officials, the operation was launched after villagers in the Dharni top and adjoining forest belts reported suspicious movement over the past 24 hours, triggering an immediate cordon-and-search drill. Additional reinforcements, including special operations teams and sniffer dogs, have been deployed to cover nullahs, forest tracks and high ridges, while checkpoints have been set up on approach roads to monitor vehicle and pedestrian movement.
The ongoing search is part of a broader anti-terror grid in the twin districts of Rajouri and Udhampur, which have seen multiple alerts and intermittent encounters over recent months. Officials said the priority is to prevent any infiltration of armed groups into populated areas and to neutralise suspected militants before they can regroup or carry out attacks.
Valley-wide Raids on Jamaat-e-Islami Network
Parallel to the Udhampur operation, Jammu and Kashmir Police have intensified a coordinated crackdown on the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), conducting fresh raids at multiple locations across the Kashmir Valley. Searches have been carried out in districts including Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Budgam and Kupwara, targeting residential premises, business establishments and institutions allegedly linked to JeI functionaries and associates.
During the raids, police teams seized a significant quantity of electronic devices, documents, printed literature and other material that investigators believe could be relevant to ongoing terror-financing and radicalisation probes. Several individuals have been questioned, with some bound down under preventive provisions as part of an effort to dismantle what authorities describe as the “terror support ecosystem” operating behind the scenes.
Focus on Terror Financing and Radicalisation
Officials said the crackdown follows intelligence inputs suggesting attempts to revive the proscribed organisation’s activities under new banners and through front institutions. Raids have included checks at madrassas, trust-run schools, publishing houses and charitable organisations suspected of being used to propagate extremist narratives or channel funds to outlawed groups.
Investigators are digitising and analysing the seized material to map communication channels, financial trails and ideological linkages with militant outfits both within and outside Jammu and Kashmir. Police have appealed to the public to cooperate with search teams and to promptly report any suspicious activity, stressing that the operations are aimed at safeguarding civilian life and preserving recent gains in peace and normalcy.
Heightened Security Grid in J&K
The simultaneous operations in Udhampur’s Basantgarh sector and across the Valley come in the backdrop of recent terror incidents and inputs about possible attempts by foreign-backed groups to revive violence in the region. Security agencies have increased night patrolling, strengthened village defence committees in vulnerable belts and stepped up road-opening exercises on key highways and internal routes.
Senior officers have indicated that operations will continue until the suspected militants in the Udhampur forests are either neutralised or confirmed to have withdrawn, and until the support structures linked to banned outfits are thoroughly disrupted. Authorities maintain that sustained, intelligence-driven action is essential to prevent any resurgence of organised terror networks in Jammu and Kashmir.
