The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said in a chargesheet that suspended Jammu and Kashmir police officer Davinder Singh, who was caught travelling in a car with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in January this year, “was being groomed by Pakistani officials for obtaining sensitive information.”
The NIA said Singh was also in touch with certain officials of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi through secure social media platforms.
Also read | Davinder gets bail as police miss deadline
The NIA filed its chargesheet against Singh and five others in a Jammu court on Monday. The other accused are Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu and his brother, Syed Irfan Ahmad; Rafi Ahmad Rather, another Hizbul terrorist; Irfan Shafi Mir, an advocate and Tanveer Ahmad Wani, a businessman, who was active at the Line of Control (LoC) trade points with Pakistan before it was suspended in 2019.
Singh was arrested on January 11 with the two wanted Hizbul terrorists Mushtaq, Rather and Irfan Shafi after they were stopped at a check post in South Kashmir’s Kulgam. The accused were travelling in Shafi’s car and were on their way to Jammu.
The case was handed over to NIA on January 17. The agency conducted raids at 15 places in the Kashmir Valley and Jammu and subsequently arrested Ahmad, Wani and a former sarpanch, Tariq Ahmad Mir. Mir was arrested in April and a chargesheet is yet to be filed against him.
“The investigation has revealed that the accused were part of a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Pakistani State Agencies to commit violent acts and to wage war against the Union of India…Pakistan based leadership of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) namely Sayeed Salahudeen, Amir Khan, Deputy Chief of Hizbul, Khursheed Alam Operational Head, Nazar Mehmood financial head of Hizbul and others along with Pakistani establishment is extending support to the cadre and commanders of Hizbul based in Jammu and Kashmir,” the NIA chargesheet said.
NIA said Irfan Shafi not only met Hizbul leadership in Pakistan but also met “Umar Cheema, Ahshan Chaudhary, Sohail Abbas and others of ISI of Pakistan and he was tasked to identify and activate the new hawala channels for transfer of money for sustaining terrorist activities in Kashmir valley.”
The agency said officials of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi were in constant touch with Shafi who was provided with funds to organise seminars in J&K to mobilise the masses against government of India.
“Irfan Shafi Mir also used to receive instructions and money from Pakistan High Commission and also facilitated the visa applications for number of Kashmiris for their visit to Pakistan,” NIA said.
Hizbul terrorist Naveed Mushtaq who deserted J&K police in 2017 was responsible for various killings, including incidents of terror in which labourers and truck drivers were killed after the revocation of Article 370 from J&K.
“Naveed had made efforts to recruit gullible Muslims youths to join cadre of Hizbul. He was also receiving funds from LoC traders and accused Tanveer Ahmad Wani, an Ex-President of LoC traders Association, was providing him funds with the help of other traders based in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir,” NIA said.
NIA said the accused obtained weapons and ammunitions from across the border with the help Singh, other arms smugglers and “these weapons were later used for terrorist activities.”
“…in February, 2019, in order to shield HM Commander Syed Naveed Mushtaq from the heightened surveillance of security agencies, accused Devender Singh, a serving Deputy Superintendent of Police, Irfan Shafi and Irfan Ahmad arranged safe shelter for him and his associate in Jammu. Singh used his own vehicle for the movement of HM terrorists and also assured them help in procuring weapons,” the chargesheet said.
The NIA said the Pakistani establishment has been devising all possible ways and means to fund, arm and sustain the terrorist activities of the banned terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen.