NIA chargesheets 25 militants in targeted killings of minorities in J-K

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a charge sheet against 25 accused in the Jammu and Kashmir terrorism conspiracy case that pertains to targeted killings of minorities, civilians, migrants, government officials and unguarded security personnel.

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

It revealed a clear shift in the strategy of the terrorist organization toward targeted killings of minorities, civilians, migrants, government officials and unguarded security personnel that took place last year.

Filed in a special NIA court here in the National capital, the charge sheet explained how a deep-rooted conspiracy of Pakistan based proscribed terrorist organisations joined hands in 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 Jammu and Kashmir, said the NIA in the charge sheet.

"Many affiliate or offshoots outfits such as TRF, 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 and Kashmir Gaznavi Force had suddenly mushroomed, laying claims to various terrorist acts," reports the NIA in its charge sheet.

"The investigation established that all these pseudo-outfits are in fact offshoots or rechristened versions of proscribed terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and have been floated under a deep-rooted conspiracy to portray terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as home-grown insurgency."

The charge sheet mentioned that a "well-organized propaganda machinery operating on cyberspace through various websites, blogs, Social media handles, closed channels on encrypted communication platforms wherein concocted and skewed narrative is presented to impressionable and Pakistan based nodes have been used to radicalize youth".

NIA investigation has revealed that all this media propaganda of different terrorist outfits was "epicentered around common nodes operating from Pakistan".

"A key element of aforementioned 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 the society and simultaneously carry out instructions of their terrorist handlers," said the charge sheet.

"While acting as an Over Ground Workers, they were also found indulging in terrorist actions such as grenade lobbing, undertaking lone attacks on vulnerable targets and arson."

Those named in the charge sheet are identified as Bashir Ahmed Peer, Imtiyaz Kundoo, Bilal Ahmed Mir, Owais Ahmed Dar, Tariq Ahmed Dar, Tariq Ahmed Bafanda, Mohd Haneef Chairalu, Hanan Gulzar Dar, Mateen Ahmed Bhat, Kamran Ashraf Reshi, Rayid Bashir, Mohd. Manan Dar, Zamin Adil Bhat,Hariis Nisar Langoo, Rouf Ahmad Bhat, Sobiya Aziz Mir, Amir Ahmad Gojree, Sadaat Amin Malik,Ishfaq Amin Wani, Rashid Muzafar Ganai, Nashir Ahmad Mir, Irfan Tariq Antoo, Suhail Ahmad Thokar, Adil Ahmad War and Arif Farooq Bhat. All are residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

( With inputs from ANI )

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