Srinagar, May 16: The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday said they have arrested two persons involved in the assassination of the late Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq over three decades ago and were handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to face trial, officials said.
Pertinent to mention here prominent religious leader of Kashmir Mirwaiz Moulvi Mohammad Farooq was assassinated at his Nigeen residence on May 21, 1990.
Addressing a press conference here today, Special Director General of Police (CID) RR Swain said the State Investigation Agency (SIA) arrested Javed Bhat and Zahoor Bhat who had managed to escape along with two others after the killing of Mirwaiz Farooq at his residence on May 21, 1990.Officials, however, did not divulge other details such as when and from where the two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists – Javaid Ahmad Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat – were arrested.
The case was later transferred from the Nigeen Police Station to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Special DG, CID Swain announced that the State Investigation Unit (SIA) has successfully carried out a significant operation in which two individuals associated with Hizbul-Mujahideen were apprehended.
“After investigation, the CBI was able to get punishment for one accused Ayub Dar in the Court of the Special Designated Judge TADA Delhi. Ayub Dar was convicted by the court. The court sentenced to him to life,” Swain said.
Special DG, CID Swain said it came to the fore during the investigation that five persons were involved in the case.
He said, “Abdullah Bangroo was their commander. But during the trial, only one person, Ayub Dar, was arrested in the case and his trial went up to 2009. The trial of the case took 10 years.”
“The main accused, Abdullah Bangroo, was killed in an encounter while he was on the run. Another accused, Rehman Shigan, was also killed in the encounter,” Special DG, CID Swain said
He also said two others, Javaid Bhat alias Ajmal Khan and Zahoor Bhat, were also on the run. However, they were caught and brought to justice.
In a statement, the police claimed both Javaid Ahmad Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat were absconding since 21 May 1990. The statement also said that the two had fled abroad .
“The two had gone underground and during all these years had been variously hiding in Nepal and Pakistan among other places before surreptitiously returning back to Kashmir a few years ago. Maintaining a low profile, changing addresses, and shifting residences, they avoided the gaze of law enforcement agencies,” it said.
Mirwaiz Farooq, the head priest of Kashmir, was killed by Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists on May 21 1990, who accused him of being a ‘peacenik’ and an ‘Indian agent’, said police.
Meanwhile, Ayub Dar had appealed against his conviction. The Supreme Court, however, upheld the conviction in 2010. The police said before killing Mirwaiz, all five terrorists had gone to Pakistan for training in 1990.
“Back in Srinagar, Abdullah Bangroo received instructions in April 1990 from his ISI handler in Pakistan to eliminate Mirwaiz,” the police said.
The remaining four remained on the run. While two (Abdullah Bangroo & Rehman Shigan) were killed in encounter and Javaid Bhat and Ayub Bhat managed to evade.
“Ayub Dar, the convicted terrorist and one of the killers, appealed against his conviction, which however, was upheld by the Division Bench of Supreme Court in Criminal Appeal No.535 of 2009 on 21 July 2010,” he said.
As per Special DG, CID Swain said before killing Mirwaiz, all the five HM terrorists had gone to Pakistan for terrorist training in 1990. Back in Srinagar, Abdullah Bangroo received instructions in April 1990 from his ISI handler in Pakistan to eliminate Mirwaiz, he said
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Paraphrased excerpts from Supreme Court order:
In the year 1990 itself, in the month of April, accused Abdullah Bangroo, Javed Ahmed Bhat alias Ajmal Khan and Mohd. Ayub Dar alias Ishfaq, who belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, entered into a criminal conspiracy to eliminate Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq. Accused Abdulla Bangroo, who was then heading Hizbul Mujahideen, instructed Javed Ahmed Bhat alias Ajmal Khan and Mohd. Ayub Dar alias Ishfaq to plan the elimination of Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq.
Javed Ahmed Bhat alias Ajmal Khan was then working as an Area Commander of Hizbul-Mujahideen in the downtown area of Srinagar; Whereas the Javed was working as a Group Commander in that very area. Later on, Abdul Rehman Shigan alias Inayat and Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal also joined the conspiracy.
It came out in the investigation that, in the second week of May, 1990, under the instructions of Javed Ahmed Bhat alias Ajmal Khan, Mohd. Ayub Dar alias Ishfaq and Abdul Rehman Shigan alias Inayat had visited the residence of Moulvi Farooq at Nageen, Srinagar and had requested him for financial help to their terrorist organization i.e. Hizbul Mujahideen.
Moulvi Farooq had agreed to help them and had asked them to meet after 2/3 days during the morning hours. Thereafter, two accused surveyed the area as per their plan and informed the details to Javed Ahmed Bhat alias Ajmal Khan.
It was on May 21, 1990 that the three accused namely Mohd Ayub Dar alias Ishfaq , Abdul Rehman Shingan alias Inayat and Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal alias Jana armed with loaded pistol visited the `Mirwaiz Manzil’ at Nageen.
Accused Javed Ahmed Bhat alias Bilal had instructed the appellant that, out of the three accused persons, Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal would fire on Moulvi Farooq and the remaining two accused persons namely Ayub Dar and Abdul Rehman Shingan were to provide cover to Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal.
As per the plan, they all reached the gate of Mirwaiz Manzil and met Maqbool Shah, the gate-keeper and informed him that they wanted to meet Moulvi Farooq. Maqbool Shah then asked Gulam Qadir Sofi, the gardener, to take them to the Personal Assistant as he himself was going to the market.
As a result, the gardener, Ghulam Qadir Sofi, escorted the three to the Personal Assistant, Saidur Rehman, who quizzed them about their names and one of them revealed his fictitious identity as Gulzar Farooq R/o. Batmaloo. The Personal Assistant wrote that name on a slip of paper, which was then delivered to Moulvi Farooq’s chamber by the gardener Ghulam Qadir Sofi. After a while, Moulvi Farooq summoned the three accused into the office, at which point Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal entered Moulvi Farooq’s room and the remaining two accused, including Javed Bhat, took positions in the PA’s room.
On entering the room of Moulvi Farooq, Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal fired several rounds on Moulvi Farooq from his pistol and immediately, accused Inayat also fired from his pistol in the air while coming out of PA’s room, which hit the outside wall of the Office.
On hearing the sound of firing, the gardener came inside the Office and tried to catch hold of Ishfaq, who was trying to escape.
However, all the accused persons escaped giving a push to the Gardener Ghulam Qadir Sofi. Bilal also tried to run away, but he was caught by Ghulam Qadir Sofi.
There was a scuffle between the two, in which Bilal sustained an injury below his right eye. Later, after firing one round from his pistol, Bilal also managed to escape. The accused persons ran towards Kashmir University, who were followed by Ghulam Qadir Sofi upto the main road and near the University Gate, the assailants ran towards Soura through the University compound and reached Chatargam in the afternoon of May 21, 1990.
All the three accused persons were directed by Abdullah Bangroo, to go underground for some time.
During trail running for several years, it could be established that the terrorist who pulled the trigger on Mirwaiz Farooq on the fateful day on the directions of then HM commander Abdullah Bangroo was Zahoor Bhat who ironically succeeded in evading arrest by going into hiding.
