New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet in a special court against six senior leaders of the separatist organisation Hurriyat Conference. The case pertains to an incident in 1996 where a mob was incited to attack the police during the funeral procession of a terrorist. The agency alleges that these leaders instigated the crowd to launch the attack.
Additionally, a conspiracy was hatched to incite large-scale violence. In the charge sheet filed on Friday at the special NIA court in Jammu, the NIA has named Shabir Ahmad Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ghani Lone, Mohammad Yaqoob Vakil, and Javed Ahmad Mir Bakshi as accused.
Details of the Charges
According to the NIA charge sheet, all six accused have been charged under relevant sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, 1989, for offences including criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, rioting, and assaulting government officials. A case has also been registered under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
However, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ghani Lone, and Mohammad Yaqoob Vakil have since passed away; consequently, legal proceedings against them have concluded. The NIA stated in the charge sheet that the investigation yielded sufficient evidence of their involvement in the criminal conspiracy and the unlawful assembly.
Background of the Case
According to the NIA, on July 17, 1996, these six leaders led an unlawful assembly during the funeral procession of Hilal Ahmad Baig, a terrorist who had been killed at the Naaz Crossing in Srinagar. They instigated large-scale violence against the police. The NIA investigation revealed that armed terrorists were embedded within the funeral procession.
During the violence, terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on police personnel, injuring several of them. Government vehicles also sustained heavy damage due to stone-pelting. Meanwhile, the NIA’s investigation revealed that the Hurriyat leaders named in the charge sheet actively incited the crowd. They also orchestrated the raising of anti-India, pro-Pakistan, and separatist slogans. According to the agency, these leaders made controversial statements in their speeches while expressing support for the agitation.
What did the agency say?
According to the investigative agency NIA, the violence was a premeditated conspiracy. The objective was to exploit the terrorist’s funeral to propagate separatist ideology, garner public support against the Indian government, challenge law and order, incite violence against security forces, and demonstrate the Hurriyat’s strength in Jammu and Kashmir.
An FIR regarding the incident was registered at the Shergari Police Station in Srinagar on the very day the violence occurred. Later, acting on the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the NIA took over the investigation in April 2016. The NIA stated that the investigation is ongoing, and further necessary action will be taken based on the evidence gathered.
