New terrorists in town: J&K's 'white-collar jihadis' leverage cyber space to trigger unrest in Valley

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police is cracking down on cyber terrorists, also known as “white-collar jihadis”, as it feels that 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, 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 Jammu and Kashmir Police recently arrested five suspected “white-collar jihadis” who were behind a campaign to spread falsehood about the sovereignty of the country. They, according to the police, were tasked with preparing a strategic hit list of government officers, journalists, social activists, lawyers and political functionaries to instil fear among people. “A cyber terrorist is actually deadlier than an actual terrorist because first, he is in hiding and second, he is absolutely unknown — unknown till you get into certain very specific details,” DGP Singh said. “It is very difficult to find out those kinds of details to locate them and who is actually using that particular identity in the virtual world. People have taken advantage of anonymity in the cyber world and that is why they indulge in such kinds of activities,” he said. Singh has been laying special emphasis on putting a check on cyber terrorists as he feels that they are the “worst kind of terrorists (as) they are not seen but the amount of damage they do and the amount of pollution of the mind of the youth they do are immeasurable.” He says they are the people who are responsible for recruitment, they are the ones who would make some sort of comments and statements on social media which would create a communal wedge between various communities, between Hindus and Muslims and others. “Therefore, taking care of them and hitting them is very very important so we are working on that front and have achieved some success in a few areas. More work and more focused work is needed. We will continue to do whatever is needed in this regard,” Singh said.