Chargesheet filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday said it has filed a chargesheet in a special court here against 25 accused persons under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the J&K terrorism case.

In an official statement, the NIA said those, who have been made accused in the chargesheet include Bashir Ahmed Peer of Kupwara, Imtiyaz Kundoo of Baramula, Bilal Ahmed Mir of Srinagar, Owais Ahmed of Pulwama, Tariq Ahmed Dar of Srinagar, Tariq Ahmed Bafanda of Srinagar, Mohd. Haneef Chairalu of Srinagar, Hanan Gulzar Dar of Sringar, Mateen Ahmed Bhat of Shopian, Kamran Ashraf Reshi of Srinagar, Rayid Bashir of Srinagar, Mohd. Manan Dar of Srinagar and Zamin Adil Bhat of Srinagar.

The others named in the chargesheet are Hariis Nisar Langoo of Srinagar, Rouf Ahmad Bhat of Anantnag, Sobiya Aziz Mir of Srinagar, Amir Ahmad Gojree of Srinagar, Sadaat Amin Malik of Baramulla, Ishfaq Amin Wani of Srinagar, Rashid Muzafar Ganai of Baramulla, Nashir Ahmad Mir of Baramulla, Irfan Tariq Antoo of Baramulla, Suhail Ahmad Thokar of Kulgam, Adil Ahmad War of Srinagar and Arif Farooq Bhat of Srinagar.

In the chargesheet, the NIA claimed that its investigation revealed a deep-rooted conspiracy of Pakistan-based proscribed terrorist organisations joining hands in the form of a united group and shifting of their modus operandi by floating pseudo offshoot outfits portrayed as indigenous resistance groups, in whose name terrorist acts are being committed with an intention to claim deniability at the international level.

“After the abrogation of article 370, this shift was discernible in claims of terrorist acts done in J&K. Many affiliate and offshoot outfits such as The Resistance Front (TRF), People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF), United Liberation Front J&K ULF J&K, Muslim Janbaaz Force (MJF), Kashmir Janbaaz Force (KJF), Kashmir Tigers, Kashmir Fight, Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind, Kashmir Gaznavi Force, etc., had suddenly mushroomed, laying claims to various terrorist acts,” it said.

According to the NIA the investigation also established that all these pseudo-outfits were in fact offshoots and rechristened versions of proscribed terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and have been floated under a deep-rooted conspiracy to portray terrorism in J&K as home-grown insurgency.

“Well-organised propaganda machinery, which is operating in the cyberspace through various websites, blogs, Social media handles, closed channels on encrypted communication platforms, etc., concocted a skewed narrative of impressionable and Pakistan-based nodes, which have been used to radicalise youth. Investigation has revealed that all this media propaganda of different terrorist outfits was epicentred around common nodes operating from Pakistan,” the NIA said

The NIA also alleged in the chargesheet saying: “A key element of the conspiracy was inducting new cadres in form of ‘hybrid terrorists’ belonging to various walks of life, who could use their cover to remain rooted in society and simultaneously carry out instructions of their terrorist handlers.”

While acting as an OGW, they were also found indulging in terrorist actions such as grenade lobbing, undertaking lone attacks on vulnerable targets and arson, the agency said, adding: “The investigation has also revealed a clear shift in the strategy of terrorist organisations towards targeted killings of minorities, civilians, migrants, government officials and unguarded security personnel.”

The case pertains to hatching of conspiracy both on physical as well as cyberspace for undertaking violent terrorist acts in J&K and other parts of the country, by cadres of proscribed terrorist organisations like Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr and their affiliates such as the Resistance Front (TRF), People Anti-Fascist Forces (PAFF), etc.

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 8th April , 2022