Asif Iqbal Naik
Kishtwar | December 17, 2025: In a development raising serious national security concerns, official police verification reports have revealed that close relatives of a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander active since last over 3 decades, along with several individuals facing criminal and subversive allegations, are engaged as workers and contract holders at the strategically vital 850 MW Rattle Hydroelectric Power Project in Drabshalla area of Kishtwar district.
According to a confidential verification report dated November 1, 2025, submitted by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kishtwar, the project management—Mega Pvt Ltd HEP (Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited – MEIL)—was formally alerted about the presence of employees allegedly having militancy links, criminal antecedents, or ongoing legal cases. The SSP cautioned that the continued engagement of such individuals poses a serious threat to a project of immense strategic and national significance.
The report specifically flags the engagement of close relatives of Mohammad Amin Butt alias Jahangir Saroori, the longest-surviving commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit, active since the early 1990s and currently wanted with a ₹30 lakh bounty on his head.
However the project management instead of acting on the concern flagged by the SSP Kishtwar, with the help of valley based journalist tried to portraited the incident as an attempt to malign a project HR Admin head since he is from Kashmir while the officer was blame for not being a Kashmiri; but was zeroed in for not taking the security concern related to the project safety on priority which further raised suspicion among the local BJP politicians who want action against those elements who are threat to peace & stability in the area. Coincidently the said employee was also works in Zojila tunnel project, which is another important strategic project in Jammu & Kashmir where the terrorist killed innocent people in an attack on the camp at Sonmarg.
As per police verification records conducted by the police through various agencies, Mohd Iqbal, real brother of Jahangir Saroori, is engaged as a worker at the Rattle project and his name surfaced at Serial No. 27 of the identified list.
Tanveer Ahmed, Saroori’s nephew and son of Abdul Karim Butt, is listed as an employee/worker at Serial No. 16. Police records note that his father is an indexed Over Ground Worker (OGW) while Shamash Din, identified as a cousin of the terrorist commander, is also listed as a worker at Serial No. 28.
CID SB Kishtwar records further indicate that Abdul Karim Butt, Saroori’s brother, was previously detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for his alleged links with terrorist networks.
Security officials believe Jahangir Saroori to be a key figure behind the revival of militancy in Kishtwar district, years after the area was declared terror-free.
The issue has triggered sharp criticism over what is being described as contradictory signals in the administration’s counter-terror policy. While the Lieutenant Governor’s administration has, in recent months, terminated the services of government employees found to have links with terrorism or its ecosystem, the continued engagement of individuals flagged by police for terrorist links at a strategically sensitive power project has raised serious questions. Local residents and political representatives allege that instead of being weeded out, such elements are being strengthened through jobs and contracts, even as terrorist-affected families and unemployed local youth are allegedly being denied employment opportunities at the project.
The controversy further escalated after Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar raised the issue of engagement of alleged terror sympathisers, following which she was allegedly targeted by the project management. Local sources have termed the move politically motivated and driven at the behest of senior project officials, including the HoP and HR administration, adding another layer of concern over transparency and accountability in recruitment and contract allocation at the project.
Apart from the Saroori family members, the SSP’s report identifies over 20 other workers at the project who are allegedly involved in FIR No. 92/2025, registered under Sections 329, 324, and 331 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These cases are stated to be sub judice.
The verification describes several individuals as having “subversive/anti-national links” or being “high-risk targets of enemy country interests”, warning that their presence within sensitive infrastructure could be exploited to compromise project security.
The security backdrop in Kishtwar has significantly deteriorated over the past one year, with multiple encounters reported in key project-adjacent areas, as security forces intensified operations against active terrorist modules. The threat perception escalated sharply following the targeted killing of Village Defence Group (VDG) members Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar by Pakistani terrorists in the Kuntwara area, which lies close to the Rattle Hydroelectric Power Project.
The killing of local defence volunteers sent shockwaves across the district and prompted security agencies to reassess the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. Officials have pointed out that, following the effective scrapping of the Indus Waters Treaty provisions, hydropower projects in Kishtwar have emerged as prime targets for Pakistan and its proxy terror networks, making internal security and workforce vetting non-negotiable imperatives.
Despite the gravity of the police findings, sources indicate that the project management has failed to take prompt corrective measures, even after receiving formal communication from the SSP Kishtwar recommending the “reconsideration of engagement” of individuals with militancy or criminal backgrounds.
The SSP further advised MEIL to maintain strict surveillance, immediately report suspicious activity, and ensure the removal of high-risk personnel from sensitive installations.
The Ratle project has also remained embroiled in controversy over its recruitment practices. In earlier correspondence, MEIL reportedly alleged political interference, accusing certain local political figures, including a BJP MLA, of exerting pressure for awarding contracts and facilitating large-scale recruitments.
The charge denied by the MLA Kishtwar & the BJP who stated that they are fighting for the cause of local unemployed youths who are being denied jobs and contracts in the project while families of active terrorist & surrender terrorists along with OGWs are being facilitated with both hands by the project management itself.
The company claimed that out of its 1,434-strong workforce, a substantial number were adjusted under “pulls and pressures”, with many allegedly lacking the technical competence required for critical roles—further compounding operational and security risks while at the same time project management fail to display the list of those engaged in the project.
Located on the Chenab River, the 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project is one of Jammu and Kashmir’s most crucial power infrastructure ventures and is targeted for completion by May 2026, but the insider says that it is unlikely to get completed before 2028 while at the same time insider are blaming poor financial conditions of the MEIL could led the company in distress that could further delay the construction of the project. Security agencies classify projects like Rattle as high-value strategic assets, vulnerable to sabotage and hostile intelligence operations.
The SSP Kishtwar’s report underscores the urgent need for strict vetting, de-induction of high-risk individuals, and enhanced coordination between project authorities and security agencies, warning that any laxity could have serious national security implications.
As of filing this report, MEIL has not issued any official response to the SSP’s recommendations and the reasons thereof for not acting on the police reports as local people demanded a through probe into the security lapses and financial aspect of the project through NIA or any other terror probing agency of the country.
