Now, ‘white-collar jihadis’ set to trigger unrest in Valley

The “white-collar jihadis” could trigger a communal clash or influence youths by manipulating news on social media while they themselves live comfortably in faraway countries.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police are cracking down on cyber terrorists, also known as “white-collar jihadis”, as it feels they are the “worst kind of terrorists” who remain anonymous but cause an “immeasurable” amount of damage and brainwashing of youngsters, officials said here.

According to an assessment provided by the director general of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh (pic), senior army officers and officials from the security establishment, there is a fear that these “white-collar jihadis” could trigger a communal clash or influence some youths by manipulating news on social media while they themselves live comfortably in faraway countries.

The battleground is new where conventional weaponry and the fighting zones of a warren of narrow streets and forests are replaced by computers and smartphones to wage war from just about anywhere — in Kashmir or outside, safe inside their homes or out on the streets, from a nearby cafe or even just a convenient roadside.

A senior army officer termed them “white-collar jihadis” who mislead the youth and general population by peddling lies on social media and twisting the situation to suit the separatists or terrorist groups.

The J&K Police recently arrested 5 suspected “white-collar jihadis” who were behind a campaign to spread falsehood about the sovereignty of the country. They, police said, were tasked with preparing a strategic hit list of government officers, journalists, social activists, lawyers and political functionaries to instil fear among people.