‘Militant’ arrested from IIOJK turns out to be BJP member

Ruling party spokesperson admits Talib Hussain had 'online membership' of Bharatiya Janata Party

A "militant" arrested in India, who was earlier touted as an activist of Lashkar-e-Taiba, turned out to be a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), BBC Urdu reported.

Police officials claimed that Talib Hussain was caught by locals and handed over to police on Sunday.

BJP IIOJK unit spokesperson Altaf Thakur refuted claims that Talib was a member of the BJP. However, he admitted that he had an "online membership" of the ruling party.

BJP IIOJK minority group official Sheikh Bashir said that Talib was designated as social media in-charge of the party two months ago but was removed from the position shortly.

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Fazal Dar has also been arrested along with Talib Hussain from IIOJK's Pulwama district and police claimed that he was also a militant.

Police also claimed to have recovered weapons and ammunition from Talib and Fazal, saying that they have recovered six bombs, three magazines, two pistols, one launcher, three hand grenades, a pistol, 47 rounds of AK-47 and remote antennas from the militants.

Who is Talib Hussain?

According to BBC Urdu, Talib was appointed as IT and social media cell in-charge two months ago. He is a resident of IIOJK's Rajouri district and used to work as a carpenter before the appointment.

Talib's family members say Talib has three brothers and he's the eldest. He got married in 2008 and had become a father only a day before his arrest.

They said that Talib joined BJP in 2017 and has worked on different designations in the ruling party.

Congress, BJP exchange allegations

According to The Hindu, India's main opposition party Congress on Monday held a street demonstration in IIOJK and demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over Talib Hussain’s links with the BJP.

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“The NIA should investigate the role of BJP leaders and their links with Hussain. His presence in the BJP not only posed a threat to the Amarnath Yatra but also to civilians. The BJP compromised with the nation’s security,” Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma said.

Responding to the allegations, BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said that people such as Talib get into the fold by taking advantage of online membership and working with the "militants" simultaneously.

He said that they cannot verify the background of anyone who joins the party online, claiming that Talib Hussain was "planted to target BJP leaders".