Authorities on Thursday demolished the houses of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, a day after a police head constable was killed in an attack in the town.
According to officials, the demolished properties belonged to Aadil Ahmad Thokar, a resident of Guree in Bijbehara, and Haroon Rashid Ganai, a resident of Hassanpora in Anantnag district. Both are alleged to be active members of the Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The demolitions were carried out during overnight counter-terrorism operations by security forces as part of an intensified crackdown on militant infrastructure and support networks across the Kashmir Valley.
Crackdown Follows Killing of Policeman
The action came hours after Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi, who was deployed for Amarnath Yatra security duty, was shot dead by a lone terrorist near Lal Chowk in Anantnag on Wednesday afternoon.
Following the attack, security forces launched a massive search operation in Anantnag and intensified raids across the Valley to trace those involved in the killing and dismantle militant support networks.
Second Demolition Linked to Aadil Thokar’s Family
Officials said the newly constructed house of Aadil Ahmad Thokar was completely demolished using explosives during the operation.
This is the second time that property belonging to Thokar’s family has been demolished. His ancestral house was also razed in April 2025, days after the Pahalgam terror attack, during a wider crackdown in which several properties allegedly linked to active militants were demolished across Kashmir.
Joint Operation by Security Forces
In a separate operation, the single-storey house of Haroon Rashid Ganai was also demolished.
Officials said Ganai has allegedly been associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba since 2018.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army’s 1 Rashtriya Rifles and the 90 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Security agencies have stepped up counter-terror operations across the Valley following Wednesday’s attack, with search operations and raids continuing in several districts as investigators work to identify those responsible for the killing of the police officer and dismantle militant support networks.
