Local BJP leader & former Sarpanch of Shopian Mir has been arrested for supplying arms to Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. The arrest was carried by the National Investigation Agency in a case registered in January when J&K police officer Davinder Singh was caught travelling in a car with a Hizbul Mujahideen militant.
A suspect, Tariq Ahmad Mir, 36The was arrested by NIA on Wednesday, whose name came out during the interrogation of Naveed Mushtaq Shah, a Hizbul Militant. Shah reportedly told interrogators that Mir was involved in providing weapons to other terrorist groups.
Although gram panchayat elections are not fought on party symbols, the candidates do have political inclination and they get support from political parties. Mir got elected as Panchayat Sarpanch, whose house was later raided during search operations by NIA. However, he was not arrested that time.
“Mir is an arms conduit, he was arrested and produced in court which granted six day custody. Further interrogation is on,” a senior NIA official said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Singh was arrested with Naveed, Rafi Ahmed Rather, another Hizbul militant and Irfan Shafi, a lawyer, on January 11 in South Kashmir’s Kulgam. The accused were enroute to the residence of Naveed’s younger brother Syed Irfan Ahmad in Jammu. A PhD scholar, Irfan was arrested on January 24 by the J&K police. The case was subsequently transferred to the NIA.
Another official said though Mir was not directly involved in Davinder Singh’s case, he played an important role in providing weapons to several terrorist groups active in Kashmir Valley including the Hizbul.
Singh’s arrest created a sensation as he was found in the company of Naveed Shah, a former police constable and one of the ‘most wanted terrorists’ in J&K. Police say that Shah was behind the killing of 11 truck drivers, non-local labourers and apple traders in south Kashmir after the August 5 clampdown in the former State after Parliament abrogated Article 370.
