SIA chargesheets dreaded terrorist who infiltrated BJP ranks in J&K

Srinagar: In a major blow to the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the J&K Police has filed a chargesheet in a special court against four members of the terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) who were reviving militancy in the Union Territory’s Jammu province.

Those figuring in the chargesheet include Talib Hussain Shah, arrested and involved in a number of grenade and IED blasts. Shah had succeeded in infiltrating the Minority Morcha of the BJP where he had been appointed as in charge of information technology and social media cell in the Jammu division. He also worked as a news anchor on a web portal for some time but went into hiding after two blasts in Rajouri in March and April 2022 in which four persons sustained injuries.

Shah had gained access to senior BJP leaders in Jammu and was at least once spotted among the visitors of a senior BJP leader and a Union Minister in New Delhi. He became a suspect only after he disappeared in Rajouri in May 2022.

Shah was declared as an absconder and he was overpowered by some villagers along with Faisal in a remote village of Reasi district on 27 June 2022. Two AK rifles, one pistol, seven grenades, and a quantity of ammunition were recovered from them.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for the villagers who captured Shah and his associate.

According to official sources, Shah aka Abu Ahmad of Draj in Jammu’s Rajouri district had recruited a number of youths to revive the terror ecosystem in different districts of the Jammu region before he went underground and was dramatically captured by some civilians in adjoining Reasi district early this year.

The charge sheet was filed against Shah and his three associates in a special court for their involvement in terror activities at the behest of their Pakistan-based handlers, the SIA said in a statement.

The investigation has also established that on the directions of Pakistan-based handlers, Shah had recruited many youths of Jammu and Kashmir and had revived the terror ecosystem in Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal areas of the Jammu region.

“Investigation also proved that the accused persons are also involved in minority killings and creating fear psychosis among the general masses. They have been directed to carry out attacks on security forces and vital installations to meet the objective of secession of J&K from the Union of India,” the statement added.

The investigation has revealed that Shah was involved in five major incidents of drone dropping collection in which he received arms, ammunition, explosives and Indian currency from Pakistan. He planned and executed a number of grenade and IED attacks in the Pir Panjal mountain range which divides the Kashmir and Jammu provinces.

Shah allegedly received two groups of terrorists who were transported from Kashmir to Rajouri by his associate Mohammad Shabir S/O Ghulam Hussain R/O Draj. With the arrest of Shah and Faisal, the J&K Police claimed to have solved five major terror-related cases including a murder case in Targain, a blast in Kotranka, firing on one Ranjeet Singh besides grenade attacks in Anus jhuggi and Shahpur.

Shah’s terror module was also allegedly involved in the grenade attack at the house of the BJP worker Jasbir Singh of Khandli on 12 August 2021. A two-year-old Veer Singh had died in the blast. According to Police, Shah had carried out this attack on the instructions of Pak-based handler Mohammad Qasim aka Suleiman a resident of Angrala, Mahore, PoK.

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