Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency on Tuesday claimed to have arrested two absconding Hizb militants allegedly involved in the 1990 assassination of Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq, a prominent religious leader and father of current Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Mirwaiz Farooq was assassinated on May 21, 1990.
The arrests come ahead of the 33rd anniversary of the high-profile assassination, which marked the beginning of the armed conflict in the Kashmir valley. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Special Director General of Police in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Rashmi Ranjan Swain said that the two accused Hizb militants Javaid Bhat and Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, both residents of Srinagar who were absconding in the case, were arrested by the State Investigating Agency (SIA) in Srinagar.
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Two more accused, Abdullah Bangroo and Rehman Shigan were killed in encounters while another accused identified as Ayoub Dar has been sentenced to life by a TADA court in the case, Swain said. The ADGP CID said that the initial case was filed at Police Station Nigeen under FIR 61/1990 which was later transferred to the CBI.
Swain said that the two accused Javaid Bhat and Zahoor Ahmed Bhat after being arrested by the SIA and are being handed over to the CBI to face further trial. The special DG CID said that investigations into the case revealed that Hizb commander Abdullah Bangroo had hatched a conspiracy to kill Mirwaiz. “Bangroo and his associate (both Hizb commanders) were killed in encounters while one accused was serving life.
The arrested duo, he said, was evading arrest and were hiding in Pakistan and Nepal over these years. The ADGP CID however did not elaborate on how the duo landed in Srinagar. "Both have been arrested and handed over to CBI as proclaimed offenders,” the police officer said. He said one of the two arrested Hizb militants Zahoor Ahmed Bhat was the one who had entered the bedroom of Mirwaiz and opened fire at him.
Significantly, the arrest of the two accused in the case comes five days ahead of the 33rd anniversary of the Mirwaiz Farooq assassination on May 21, 1990. Mirwaiz Farooq, father of Hurriyat Conference (M) chief Umar Farooq, who is currently under house arrest since the abrogation of Article 370 on Aug. 5, 2019. The week around the anniversary of the Mirwaiz Farooq anniversary has been traditionally observed as 'Martyrdom Week'.
