The J&K Police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested two militants involved in the killing of Mirwaiz Farooq, then chief cleric of the Kashmir Valley, in 1990.
“Javaid Bhat and Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, both residents of Srinagar, were arrested by the State Investigation Agency [J&K Police’s special wing] . They were hiding in Pakistan and Nepal over these years. Both have been arrested and handed over to the CBI as proclaimed offenders,” Special Director General of Police (CID) R.R. Swain said.
Farooq, also then chairman of the All Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee, is the father of Hurriyat chief and Valley’s present chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
He was killed at his residence in Srinagar’s Nigeen on May 21, 1990. The attackers were described by the authorities then as “unknown gunmen”. Mr. Swain said one of the militants had entered the bedroom of senior Farooq and opened fire at him.
CBI probe
The high-profile case was being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the killing resulted in violent protests in Kashmir. At least 35 mourners were killed in Srinagar’s Hawal when the security forces opened fire on the funeral procession.
Officials said a third accused, Ayub Dar, was given life imprisonment in 2010 after a CBI chargesheet in the case. “Investigations into the case revealed that Hizbul Mujahideen commander Abdullah Bangroo had hatched a conspiracy to kill Farooq. Bangroo and his associate (both Hizb commanders) were killed in encounters, while one accused is serving a life sentence,” Mr. Swain said.
The timing and place of arrest of the duo were not disclosed by the police. “All the accused will be brought to justice,” the police said.
The police said the duo “surreptitiously returned to Kashmir a few years ago”. “Maintaining a low profile, changing addresses and shifting residences, they avoided the gaze of law-enforcement agencies,” the police said.
The accused will face a trial in a designated TADA court in Delhi, the police added. The police disclosure comes even as the Awami Action Committee was preparing to commemorate the 34th death anniversary of Farooq.
