SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested a Kashmiri Pandit activist, Rakesh Handoo, in a “cyberterrorism” case for allegedly manipulating and repeatedly circulating terror-related threat material.Handoo, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly elections against National Conference president Farooq Abdullah from Hazratbal constituency, was remanded in police custody for five days by a court in Sopore police district, north Kashmir, on Tuesday.On Sept 17, 2026, police in Baramulla had registered FIR No. 151/2026 against Handoo, resident of Faridabad, Haryana, on the complaint of a Kashmir migrant employee under the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package.According to police officers, Handoo allegedly manipulated and repeatedly circulated terror-related threat material, purportedly issued by Soldier of Resistance, United Liberation Council, on X, falsely projecting the complainant as an intended target by altering the original material and superimposing the complainant’s name onto it.Handoo’s lawyer, Aazim Ahmad Pandit, said a bail application was initially moved before a magistrate after his client’s arrest as the defence was unaware of jurisdictional issues. He said they learned in court that police had invoked IT Act Secs 66F and 84C, with Sec 66F dealing with cyberterrorism, which comes under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act. “Once we realised that Section 66F had been invoked, we understood that the matter pertains to the designated court. We informed the magistrate that we would approach the competent court with a bail application,” Pandit said.The lawyer said his client was alleged to have shared certain information through an account on eight occasions. “Police have escalated the matter by invoking Sec 66F but the case doesn’t fulfil requirements of cyberterrorism offence,” Pandit said.Police officers said eight social media posts and relevant documentary evidence were seized from the accused, They said the accused had failed to join the investigation despite three notices, forcing police to obtain an arrest warrant.
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The accused, police offices said, was arrested on Oct 17, 2026, following due legal procedure, and two mobile phones were seized and X account details obtained for technical examination. They claimed offences under Sections 66F and 84C of the IT Act have been found prima facie established during investigation, while Forensic Science Laboratory and technical analyses reports were awaited.Threat letters to Kashmir Pandits had surfaced on social media in Aug this year. Police had tightened security in areas of the Valley where Kashmiri Pandits live and allowed some employees under the Prime Minister’s Package for Kashmiri Pandits to work from home temporarily. Kashmiri Pandit group Panun Kashmir had raised concerns over a purported threat letter from United Liberation Council, which named several Kashmiri Pandits and listed their phone numbers.