Batamaloo encounter: Valley scribe among eight charge-sheeted for harbouring militants
New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has filed a charge sheet against eight people, including journalist Aasif Sultan, for allegedly harbouring militants and conspiring with banned group HizbulMujahideen, officials said on Thursday. Police had registered a case after militants had escaped from a residential area of Batmaloo in August last year after firing indiscriminately at a police searching party. Constable Parvaiz Ahmad had died in the attack.
Besides the journalist, police also charge-sheeted Mohammed ShafeeqBhat, Waseem Khan, Bilal Ahmed Bhat and Shazia under various sections, including those relating to murder, of the Ranbir Penal Code and the Arms Act.
Three absconding, active militants of HizbulMujahideen — Abbas Sheikh, AqibNazir and Tehseen Ahmed — have been named in the charge sheet.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has secured prosecution sanctions under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against all the accused named in the charge sheet.
During preliminary investigation, the involvement of Mohammed ShafiqBhat and Wasim Ahmed Khan was established in harbouring the militants in Bhat’s house.
They were arrested and thoroughly questioned to unearth the conspiracy during which the identity of the escaped militants was ascertained as Umar Rashid, Umar Majeed and AqibNazir — belonging to HizbulMujahideen.
Khan, during interrogation, also mentioned that the group of militants was involved in snatching of weapons from Dalgate area on May 17 last year.
He also named Aasif Sultan, Bilal Ahmed Bhat, an employee of Government Medical College, and Shazia as over ground workers of HizbulMujahideen terror group.
Shazia, during her questioning, also gave a statement on the involvement of all the five persons, including the journalist, in various militant activities.
Shazia further alleged that the scribe was a key worker of HizbulMujahideen and a close associate of wanted militant Abbas Sheikh, who she claimed had stayed with him at his Srinagar house on earlier occasions.
At her instance, police conducted raids at Sultan’s house and recovered 17 letterheads of the Hizbul group.
Police has recorded statement of some independent witnesses before a judicial magistrate in which role of all the five accused has been established.
Police alleged that the journalist was involved in various militant activities. “During investigation, Facebook account of Sultan was perused which revealed that the accused is circulating and propagating messages of banned HizbulMujahideen outfit.”
The charge sheet comes three weeks after the Committee to Protect Journalists, a global organisation advocating press freedom, had appealed to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to release Sultan.
In a letter to Malik, the CPJ had advocated releasing the journalist, who works for a weekly newspaper, and said “freedom of the press is a vital tenet of democracy and a proud part of India’s history. We urge you to use the authority vested in you as governor of Jammu and Kashmir to help immediately ensure that Aasif Sultan is released and that the charges against him are dropped”.
The journalist had approached sessions court for a bail which was rejected. Under UAPA, police is supposed to file a charge sheet within six months after arresting. (PTI)
Press Trust of India
