Many J&K cops resign after terrorists kill 3, MHA says reports 'untrue'

Srinagar: Soon after three policemen were abducted and killed in south Kashmir just days after Hizbul Mujahideen posted a video with a ‘resign or get killed’ threat, at least six cops have posted their resignation videos.

Earlier on Friday, three Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a police constable were kidnapped from their houses in Shopian. Later, bullet-ridden bodies of three policemen were recovered from an orchard in Shopian.

The killings triggered panic in the lower ranks of the police department and at least six cops issued video messages dissociating themselves from the police force, reports said.

However, the Home Ministry refuted the claims and said that no policeman has resigned in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the killing of three police personnel by terror group Hizbul Mujahideen.

Reports have appeared in a section of media that some special police officers (SPOs) in Jammu and Kashmir have resigned, but the state police force has confirmed that these reports are "untrue and motivated", the ministry said in a statement. 

"These reports are based on false propaganda by mischievous elements," it said. 

"My name is Irshad Ahmad Baba and I was working as a constable in the police. I have rendered my resignation...," said one of them in a video being widely circulated on social media in Sringar, news agency PTI reported.

Tajalla Hussain Lone, another SPO, said he had resigned from the police department on September 17 and was issuing the video to put to rest any doubts that he had done so.

"My name is Nawaz Ahmad Lone, resident of Kulgam. I was working as an SPO, I am resigning of my own free will, not because of any compulsion," a report in NDTV quoted a cop as saying in the video.

Another cop said, “My name is Shabir Ahmad Thokar, son of Ghulam Mohammad Thokar. I was working as an SPO for last eight years. Through this video l want tell everybody that from today I have no relation with police department".

Terror group Hizbul Mujahideen on Tuesday posted a video threatening the security forces, especially SPOs, in the state to either resign in four days or get ready to be killed. The video has gone viral on social media in Jammu and Kashmir.

The video asked people to “quit their jobs and upload evidence of their resignation on the internet.”

The terror outfit also threatened to kill the family members of those who “stay back” at work.

Jammu and Kashmir police confirmed the authenticity of the video.