Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 14: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) has decided to file multiple charge sheets in August 5 terror attack at Narsu near Samroli in Udhampur district on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway instead of one charge sheet in view of arrests being made in the case at regular intervals and many accused including driver of the tanker, who had driven the militants to Narsu from Kulgam and woman militant, whose husband Khurshid Ahmad Itoo was arrested yesterday, eluding the investigating agency.
Official sources told the Excelsior that with about three and half months having already lapsed after the attack, the NIA has decided to file first main charge sheet either by the end of this month or start of next month and then continue to file supplementary charge sheets as and when the remaining accused were arrested.
The NIA will file the charge sheets before the Special NIA Court in Jammu.
Sources said the NIA took the decision to file multiple charge sheets as the arrests continued to be made in the case and many accused were still at large. While first accused, Mohammad Naved, a Pakistani militant was arrested on spot by the people on August 5, two accused including Khurshid Ahmad Itoo and Fayaz Ahmad Itoo alias Fayaz Welder were arrested yesterday in Kashmir.
Many more accused including Fayaz Ashwar, driver of the tanker, who had driven the militants along with arms and explosives from Kulgam to Narsu, Samroli on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and wife of Khurshid Ahmad Itoo, who had accompanied her husband in the car that moved ahead of the truck passing on signals to truck operator about movement of the militants on the highway, were yet to be arrested, sources said.
Apart from them, several Pakistani militants including Abu Dujana, a top commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit, have not been arrested. However, Abu Qasim, who was mastermind of the attack and Lashkar chief of Kashmir, was killed recently by the security forces.
Entire case is being investigated by NIA SSP Atul Goel, an IPS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, who was assigned the case a day after the attack and was instrumental in arrests of several top accused and gathering vital clues in the case.
Sources said the NIA would be filing one main charge sheet in the case during the next few days, most likely by the end of this month or start of January and then continue to file supplementary charge sheets based on the arrest of more accused and disclosures made by them about the case.
“We have made a total of six arrests in the case so far, which included two accused arrested yesterday in Kashmir. Though several Pakistani militants were also accused in the case and handsome rewards have been announced for them, we are focusing more on other accused as it was difficult to get the Pakistani militants alive,’’ sources said, adding the Pakistani militants would meet the fate of Abu Qasim.
Sources admitted that Fayaz Ashwar, a resident of Kulgam, was key man who was yet to be arrested in the case but added that the NIA with the help of Jammu and Kashmir Police was making lot of efforts to nab him as he could spill more beans in the case.
Ashwar had driven the militants in the truck from Kulgam to Narsu and return after dropping them at the site of attack in the wee hours of August 5. The conductor and owner of the truck have already been arrested.
It may be mentioned here that two Pakistani militants Mohammad Naved and Mohammad Momen had struck at Narsu targeting a BSF vehicle killing two jawans and injuring several others in the wee hours of August 5. The BSF jawans had gunned down Momen in retaliatory firing while Naved was captured by the local people and handed over to police.
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