On NIA's recommendation, Islamic seminary demolished in J&K's Pulwama on charges of harbouring militants

The Darul Uloom was demolished by a team of Revenue officials and Jammu and Kashmir Police on charges of harbouring militants killed in an encounter in March last year.

Pulwama:A Darul Uloom, (Islamic seminary) where two militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces last year was razed to the ground overnight on the recommendation of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, local inputs said on Tuesday. According to the inputs, the Darul Uloom built on government land in Chewa Kalan village of south Kashmir's Pulwama district was demolished on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday by Revenue authorities with the assistance of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Pertinently, in the month of March last year, two militants who were said to be hiding in the Darul Uloom and were killed during an encounter with security forces. It can be recalled that the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Indian Army launched a search operation on the intervening night of 11/12 March 2022 at Darul Uloom named Imam Abu Hanifa in Chewah Kalan, Pulwama.

The search operation was launched following specific inputs about the presence of militants at the seminary. In the ensuing encounter, police said that two militants Aqib Mushtaq, a resident of Karimabad and a foreign militant were killed. Following the encounter, the police registered a case and started an investigation into the militants taking shelter inside the Islamic seminary.

The Darul Uloom was closed for teaching and was sealed by the National Investigation Agency during the investigation of FIR No. 50/2022 registered in the case. The agency arrested the administrator of the said Darul Uloom Maulvi Naseer resident of Chiwah Kalan and his associate Imtiaz who are still in custody.

It has been learned that the three-room Darul Uloom was built on government land.