Central agencies given access of arrested policemen
Sanjeev Pargal/PTI
JAMMU/New Delhi, June 17: As police continued interrogation of four arrested police personnel amidst preliminary investigations that nearly a dozen constables could be directly involved in the militancy in Srinagar, the arrests had also caused concern to Central security agencies, which suspected that the constables might have been involved in gun-running and extortion. In view of their concern, police officers have provided access of all four constables to Central security and Intelligence agencies.
“We have provided access to all Central security and Intelligence agencies of four arrested constables though it was the Jammu and Kashmir police which blew the cover over this,” police spokesman said.
Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra said so far involvement of none of the senior officers has surfaced.
There had been reports that some police officers of the Kashmir valley might have facilitated the nexus between constables and Hizbul Mujahideen militants. Sources said detailed investigations into cop-militants nexus would open a pandora box as several senior and middle rung officers besides the police constables could be involved in it. The nexus was running for past quite sometime, they added.
Official sources confirmed that the police personnel had provided SIM cards to the militants in addition to specific information about deployment of police and CRPF in Srinagar City. The constables had been frequently changing their mobile phone numbers while passing on the information to Hizbul Mujahideen militants.
While three police personnel-Mohammad Abbas, Riaz Ahmad and Mohammad Ilyas were arrested yesterday morning, another constable, Mukhtiar Sheikh was arrested late last night on their disclosures. All of them were being interrogated by senior police officers after registration of a case against them at Shergarhi police station in Srinagar.
Sources said some recent attacks on the CRPF personnel by the militants could have been the result of information supplied to latter by the police constables.
Sources said Mukhtiar Sheikh was detained in the aftermath of 26/11 attacks in Mumbai for supplying SIM cards to Lashkar-e-Toiba militants. But the case was dropped against him later on the ground that he was trying to infiltrate into the terror group.
The constable ran short of luck when two of his other colleagues were picked up for interrogation after their conversation with members of banned Hizbul Mujahideen militants operating in Tral area of South Kashmir, sources said.
Besides Sheikh, those arrested were Mohammed Abbas, Riaz Ahmed and Mohammad Ilyas all of them have been booked under Section 10 (being member of an unlawful organisation), Section 13 (any form of assistance in unlawful activity) and Section 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at Shergarhi police station.
Sources in the Central security and Intelligence agencies said attempts to question the constables immediately had earlier been turned down by the Jammu and Kashmir Police prompting them to send a detailed note to the Union Home Ministry explaining the ramification of the case which includes a possible involvement of some senior police officials.
However, this evening, police provided access of all four police constables to Central Security and Intelligence agencies to ensure that they too quiz the cops independently to ascertain extent of their involvement in terror arracks in Srinagar City and other areas.
The sources said that CRPF, which is assisting the Jammu and Kashmir Police in internal security duty in the state, also wanted to question the constables amidst allegations that they could have played active role in May 30 firing on its picket near Shiraz Cinema in downtown that left seven jawans injured. The CRPF has also been provided access of the constables, they added.
CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar was briefed about the developments after which a request was forwarded for custodial questioning of the four accused constables, the sources said.
According to the sources, the four constables were allegedly helping Hizbul Mujahideen militants in reviving the militancy within the Valley as it was getting really difficult for the militants to smuggle arms into Srinagar city.
Their role in other terror-related incidents that took place in the Srinagar city was being looked into, sources said.
They pointed out that police focus was on to ascertain identity of more police personnel, who were in touch with Hizbul Mujahideen militants and were helping them in one way or the other.
“Not only the arrested and other cops were leaking information to the militants about deployment of police and para-military personnel but were also providing SIM cards to them. As constables, they were able to get SIM cards easily, which they gave to the militants”, sources said, adding that the cops had also used some of the SIM cards to inter-act with the militants.
Some more arrests of police constables, civilians and militants were on the cards as police expected to crack the nexus in the next few days, sources said.
Worthwhile to mention here that involvement of the constables in the militancy had surfaced few days back after attempt on the life of a former Hizbul Mujahideen militant Ghulam Hassan Mir alias Shabnam at Saderbal, Hazratbal on June 7. Shabnam was shot at by five to six persons but he had survived the attack.
Investigations by the police revealed that all five to six persons involved in the attack on the life of Shabnam were police and CID constables, who were affiliated to Hizbul Mujahideen and had carried out the attack on the instructions of one of their commanders.
“It was from this attack that police started tracking calls made in Saderbal area and finally zeroed-in on three constables”, sources said, adding their interrogation was expected to lead to more arrests of the constables of police and CID, who were involved in militancy.
Arrest of the police personnel came at a time when just little over a week was left for the start of annual pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath ji shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas.
Sources said the police constables were being subjected to sustained interrogation after their arrest and registration of a case against them following specific inputs about their links with the HM outfit and reports that many more police and CID personnel could also be involved in the anti-national activities.
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