NIA writes to MHA for taking over probe into Kishtwar killings

Militant’s sister arrested, all others identified

HM’s bid to revive militancy in 5 distts

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 13: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today wrote to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for taking over investigations in the killings of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar in Kishtwar even as police have identified two local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, who executed the killings at the behest of their mentors in South Kashmir and arrested sister of one of the militants, who was part of the conspiracy.
The Hizbul Mujahideen had plotted killing of the BJP leader to revive militancy in Kishtwar district after radicalization of youth and their recruitment into the militant cadre. The outfit had supplied weapons to the fresh recruits from South Kashmir while sister of the militant had purchased SIM cards in bulk, which were used to keep the militants in touch with each other, which were destroyed after the militants executed the task.
Sources told the Excelsior that after joining investigations in the case with Kishtwar police during past four days, the NIA today wrote to the MHA for taking over the case as it involved deep-rooted conspiracy of the Hizbul Mujahideen not only to revive militancy in Kishtwar but surrounding Doda and Ramban districts, besides twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch as the outfit was in touch with some of the youth to radicalize them and lure them into the militancy.
“The MHA is likely to accept request of the NIA and handover the case to it,’’ sources said, adding that the case was very sensitive in view of involvement of local militants, their mentors in Kashmir and a female, who happened to be girl friend of another militant and had been lured into the anti-national activities.
Police have arrested the girl but declined to disclose her identity. However, she happened to be sister of Osama Din son of Master Javed of Kishtwar, who was one of the two militants, who had executed the killing. Osama was absconding along with another local militant.
Police have zeroed-in on three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, who were operating from South Kashmir’s Kulgam district and were instrumental in the killings of Parihar brothers by supplying arms to local recruits of Kishtwar and assigning them the targets with a view to revive militancy in the sensitive district.
“The Hizbul Mujahideen militants operating in Kulgam have been identified but they were regularly changing their hideouts. Police have repeatedly conducted raids for them but they remained elusive after being aware that their identity was with the police and NIA disclosed by arrested contacts in Kishtwar.
Sources said Osama’s sister had made number of procurements to help militants execute their task. The SIM cards, which were used by the militants for inter-action including on fateful day of the killings to ascertain route being taken by Parihar brothers, were also managed and used by the woman.
“The militants had conducted recce of the route taken by Parihar brothers and positioned themselves in the lane. Their contact had sounded them on the brothers closing their shops and leaving for their houses. The militants killed the brothers in the lane and escaped,’’ sources said, adding that both of them were local militants of Kishtwar, who had joined militancy recently after being radicalized.
The pistols used by them in the killings had been sent by the Hizbul Mujahideen militants from Kulgam, sources said.
Besides Osama, another militant involved in the killings has also been identified and he too was a local with one of his family members being a militant in the past too.
Investigations by police revealed that it was not only Kishtwar, where some local youth have been lured into militancy after radicalization but the militant outfits in Doda, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch districts were also trying to recruit locals to revive militancy in Jammu region.
All these five districts had been declared militancy-free more than a decade ago.
Though police have 100 per cent leads in the killings, yet, according to sources, it won’t object to the case being handed over to NIA to unearth latest kind of technology used by the militants for inter-action as well as investigations into wider angles of radicalization and attempts to recruit local youth into the militant cadre to revive militancy.

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