No presence of IS in Kashmir: MHA

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday sought to downplay the issue of presence of dreaded terror group IS in Jammu & Kashmir saying it has no existence in the Valley.

There is no physical infrastructure or manpower of the IS in the Valley. It does not exist in the Valley, a Home Ministry spokesperson said here.

The central government's assertion came after the terrorist group claimed responsibility for the killing of a policeman, Farooq Ahmad Yatoo, in Jammu & Kashmir on Sunday.

Another official said Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba could be behind the attack on the policeman, and Esha Fazali, a local militant who first joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and later shifted his allegiance to LeT, has emerged as the prime suspect.

However, Jammu & Kashmir DGP SP Vaid has said in Srinagar that it was now clear that ISIS had carried out the attack and it is "indeed a worrying sign".