Kashmiri Doctor Arrested in Saharanpur; AK-47 Recovered from His GMC Anantnag Locker

SRINAGAR: A doctor from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur for his alleged involvement in putting up posters promoting the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Srinagar. In a related development, police recovered an AK-47 rifle from his locker at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, where he had earlier served as a senior resident.

Officials said the accused, identified as Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, son of Abdul Majeed Rather and a resident of Qazigund, Anantnag, was detained from a private hospital on Ambala Road in Saharanpur, where he had been working as a medicine specialist. A Srinagar Police team, assisted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and local police, carried out the late-night raid on Thursday after tracing his location through technical surveillance.

According to Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Vyom Bindal, Dr Adeel’s arrest was made in connection with a case registered recently in Srinagar after posters carrying pro-terror messages and promoting JeM surfaced at multiple locations in the city. CCTV footage reportedly showed a man pasting the posters, later identified as Dr Adeel.

After completing legal formalities and coordinating with Saharanpur’s Senior Superintendent of Police Ashish Tiwari, the Srinagar Police obtained transit remand from a local court and took custody of the accused for further questioning in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a separate but connected operation, the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) Anantnag, along with Srinagar Police, recovered an AK-47 rifle from Dr Adeel’s personal locker inside GMC Anantnag. Officials said the weapon was discovered during a follow-up search, and both the rifle and the accused were taken into police custody.

Police have registered a case under Sections 7/25 of the Arms Act and Sections 13, 28, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the recovery. The investigation, being jointly conducted by Srinagar Police and JIC Anantnag, is focused on establishing how the weapon reached the medical college premises and whether the doctor had any links to militant networks.

A police official said that “all necessary legal procedures are being followed” and that Dr Adeel is being questioned to determine the extent of his involvement in the case. No information has yet been released regarding the source of the weapon or possible accomplices.

Dr Adeel, 31, who completed his MD in General Medicine from GMC Anantnag, had served as a senior resident there until October 24 last year. He reportedly married a fellow doctor only a month ago before taking up his position in Saharanpur.

The incident has sparked concern in both medical and security circles. Authorities in Saharanpur have initiated background verification of doctors from Jammu and Kashmir currently employed in private hospitals and nursing homes. “The local intelligence unit has been alerted to verify their antecedents,” said ASP Bindal.

A senior police officer said investigators are probing whether the accused acted alone or was part of a larger network engaged in spreading extremist propaganda in the Valley.