Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 6: In a significant development in a decades-old terror-linked case, the Special NIA Court has remanded Shabir Ahmed Shah to further police custody in connection with NIA case RC-01/2026/NIA/JMU, arising out of the alleged Naaz Crossing mob violence incident of July 17, 1996.
The order was passed by Special Judge NIA Prem Sagar after the accused, Shabir Ahmed Shah, son of Ghulam Mohd Shah, resident of Anantnag and presently residing at Sanat Nagar, Srinagar, was produced before the Court by CIO NIA DySP Ankit Rohilla.
The NIA had sought further custody of the accused for ten days, submitting that the investigation was still in progress and that important leads were required to be pursued. After examining the latest entries in the case diary and hearing the submissions of the prosecution, the Court observed that the accused was prima facie involved in offences punishable under Sections 147, 148, 336, 341, 307, 332 and 427 RPC, besides Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Sections 7/27 of the Arms Act.
According to the prosecution, the NIA has recorded the statement of a second protected witness. The agency submitted that, during investigation, the accused allegedly admitted that he was leading the mob on July 17, 1996, along with other Hurriyat leaders. However, the prosecution further stated that the accused had not disclosed the identity of the terrorists who were allegedly part of the mob and had started firing upon police officials.
The NIA also informed the Court that responses from CID, Jammu and Kashmir, and Doordarshan Srinagar are still awaited. The agency has sought archival material and other relevant records connected with the 1996 incident in order to confront the accused with the findings and to unearth the larger conspiracy, if any, behind the incident.
Taking note of the submissions and the stage of investigation, the Court observed that the application filed by the NIA needed consideration. Accordingly, the accused was remanded to police custody for seven days till May 12, 2026, with a direction to the Chief Investigating Officer to expedite the investigation.
The Court further directed the CIO to strictly comply with all provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) relating to custody of the accused. It also ordered that the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in Arnesh Kumar, Satinder Kumar Antil and D.K. Basu be followed in letter and spirit.
The Court also directed that the accused be medically examined after every 48 hours as per rules.
The case has once again brought focus on the 1996 Naaz Crossing incident, with the NIA now probing whether the mob violence was part of a larger conspiracy involving terror elements and separatist-linked mobilisation. The agency is expected to confront the accused with further material after receiving responses from CID J&K and Doordarshan Srinagar.
(JNF) |
