Besides JeM chief, 18 others named in 13,800-page chargesheet; Pakistani handlers recruited local fidayeen to paint the attack as home-grown terrorism
Terror mastermind Maulana Masood Azhar, who is chief of Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, has been made prime accused along with 18 others in the “dastardly Pulwama terror attack” case in which 40 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) attained martyrdom on February 14, 2019. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a voluminous 13,800-page chargesheet before the special NIA court in Jammu on Tuesday.
The terror attack had virtually brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
The investigation conducted by the NIA over a period of 18 last month has revealed that the Pulwama terror attack was a result of a well-planned criminal conspiracy hatched by Pakistan-based leadership of Jaish-e-Mohammad.
According to the NIA probe, JeM handlers had shortlisted Adil Ahmad Dar, a local resident who rammed an explosive-laden car into a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, as a suicide bomber to project the attack as a result of a home-grown militancy.
The investigation has also revealed that the Pakistan-based JeM leadership consisting of Masood Azhar, Rouf Asgar and Ammar Alvi, aka Chacha aka Chota Masood, were continuously giving directions and guidance to the Pakistani JeM terrorists (who had infiltrated into India) both before and after the attack.
The NIA also revealed that the JeM leadership had planned to carry out another suicide attack which got averted due to Balakot strikes and killing of main conspirator Mohd Umar Farooq by the security forces.
To back its claims, NIA has presented digital, forensic, documentary and oral evidence establishing a foolproof case against the accused for the “dastardly, barbaric” attack.
Briefing mediapersons outside the court premises in Jammu, the NIA counsel Vipin Kalra said the NIA on Tuesday filed its chargesheet against the 19 accused persons in the Pulwama terror attack case. A total number of seven accused attended the virtual hearing in the case via video-conferencing.
According to him, JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar has been made prime accused in the case. The next hearing in the case has been fixed on September 1, 2020.
According to the NIA statement, “The JeM leaders have been sending their cadre to the terrorist training camps of Al-Qaida-Taliban-JeM and Haqqani-JeM in Afghanistan for receiving training in explosives and other terrorist tactics.” The main accused Mohammad Umar Farooq, a Pakistani national, had also visited Afghanistan for explosives training in 2016-17.”
NIA investigation revealed Umar Farooq infiltrated into India through the International Border at Jammu-Samba Sector in April, 2018 and took over as Jaish-e-Mohammad Commander of Pulwama.
He along with his Pakistani compatriots namely Mohd Kamran, Mohd Ismail aka Saifullah and Qari Yasir and local associates identified as Sameer Dar and Adil Ahmad Dar planned and prepared for the attack on security forces using IEDs, the NIA statement claimed.
In a written statement, NIA spokesman also said, “The chargesheet has been filed u/s 120-B, 121, 121-A, 122, 123, 307, 302 of the RPC, sections 7, 25, 27 of Arms Act, sections 3, 4, 5 & 6 of the Explosive Substances Act, sections 16, 17, 18, 18A, 18B, 19, 20, 21, 38 & 39 of the UA (P) Act, section 14C of Foreigners Act and section 4 of Jammu and Kashmir Public Property (Prevention of Damages) Act, 1985 against the 19 accused persons”.
NIA named Masood Azhar, 52 years, Pakistani national (absconding), Rouf Asgar, 47 years, Pakistani national (absconding), Ammar Alvi, 46 years, Pakistani national (absconding), Shakir Bashir, 24 Years, r/o Kakapora, Pulwama, J&K. (arrested), Insha Jan, 22 years r/o Kakapora, Pulwama, J&K (arrested), Peer Tariq Ahmed Shah, 53 years, r/o Kakapora, Pulwama, J&K (arrested), Waiz-ul-Islam, 20 years, r/o Srinagar, J&K, viii) Mohd Abbas Rather, 31 years, r/o Kakapura, Pulwama, J&K. (arrested), Bilal Ahmed Kuchhey, 28 years, r/o Hajibal, Lalhar, Pulwama, J&K (arrested), Mohd Iqbal Rather, 25 years, r/o, Charar-e-Shareef, Budgam, J&K. (arrested), Mohd Ismail, 25 years, r/o Pakistani national (absconding), Sameer Ahmad Dar, 22 years, r/o Kakapora, Pulwama, Kashmir (absconding), Ashaq Ahmed Nengroo, 33 years, r/o Rajpura, Pulwama. (absconding), Adil Ahmed Dar, 21 years, r/o Kakapora, Pulwama, Kashmir (killed), Muhammad Umar Farooq, 24 years, r/o Pakistani national (killed), Mohd Kamran Ali, 25 years, r/o Pakistani national (killed), Sajjad Ahmed Bhat, 19 years, r/o Bijbehera, Anantnag (killed), Mudasir Ahmad Khan, 24 years, r/o Awantipura, Pulwama (killed), Qari Yasir, r/o Pakistani national (killed).
“Several accused hailing from Kashmir Valley namely Shakir Bashir, Insha Jan, Peer Tariq Ahmad Shah and Bilal Ahmad Kuchey provided all logistics and harboured the JeM terrorists in their houses”, the NIA statement said.
Referring to the conspiracy, NIA in a written statement claimed, “From December, 2018 onwards, Shakir Bashir started doing reconnaissance of the movement and deployment of security forces on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Mudasir Ahmad Khan arranged Gelatin sticks and handed them over to Shakir Bashir. RDX was brought by the Pakistani terrorists who infiltrated into India. Shakir Bashir collected the explosive material i.e. RDX, Gelatin sticks, Aluminium power and Calcium-Ammonium Nitrate and stocked them at his house for making the IED”.
According to NIA, the car used for executing the terror plot was purchased in the month of January 2019.
According to NIA, “Sajjad Ahmad Bhat purchased a Maruti EECO car for the purpose of carrying out the IED attack. The car was kept in the front-yard of Shakir Bashir’s house. Waiz-Ul-Islam ordered 4 kgs of aluminium powder from his Amazon account on the directions of accused Mohd. Ismail aka Saifullah and gave the same to him”.
“Towards the end of January, 2019, Mohammad Umar Farooq, Sameer Dar and Adil Dar made the propaganda video clip of the suicide attack at Insha Jan’s house which was released immediately after the attack”.
“In the first week of February 2019, Mohd Umar Farooq, Sameer Ahmad Dar, Adil Ahmad Dar and Shakir Bashir made the IED using RDX, Calcium-Ammonium Nitrate, Gelatin Sticks and Aluminium Powder and assembled it in two containers, one weighing around 160 kgs and the second one weighing Page 3 of 3 around 40 kgs. The two IED containers were fitted in Maruti EECO car and were ready by the morning of 6th February, 2019. However, because of heavy snowfall, the National Highway got closed for the vehicular movement”.
On 14th February 2019, as the National Highway opened, Shakir Bashir drove Adil Ahmad Dar till National Highway, after which Adil Ahmad Dar took charge of the vehicle and drove on to the National Highway and carried out the suicide attack by ramming the Maruti EECO car laden with 200 kgs of highgrade explosives into a bus of the CRPF convoy, resulting in 40 CRPF personnel getting martyred and damage to the tune of Rs 32,90,719 to the public property.
Patting the back of all those agencies involved in the investigations the NIA statement said, “The chargesheet against 19 accused persons marks the culmination of a year and a half long painstaking and meticulous investigation with valuable inputs received from other Central and State Government agencies as well as foreign law-enforcement agencies”.
“The chargesheet has brought on record the all-out involvement of Pakistan-based entities to carry out terrorist strikes in India and to incite and provoke Kashmiri youth”. “Non-bailable warrants have been issued against the absconding accused and further investigation in the case is continued”, the NIA statement added.
