Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday filed a charge sheet against eleven persons, including a juvenile, over an attack on a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims last year. Eight pilgrims were killed in the attack that took place in Batengoo area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on July 10 last year.
Those charge sheeted including four militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba killed in separate gunfights last year.
A police statement said that a case (FIR No. 157/2017) under RPC sections of 302,307,326, 427 and 7/27 Arms Act and under section 16, 18, 20 ULA (P) Act was registered last year after the attack.
“Subsequently, police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Tahir Ashraf Bhatti (SP) under the close supervision of SSP Anantnag Altaf Khan and DIG SKR Anantnag,” it said.
The charge sheet was filed against accused persons before Sessions Court Anantnag and Chief Judicial Magistrate (Juvenile Court) Anantnag.
“During the course of investigation, it was established that Pak based LeT (militants) were involved in ‘SANJY’ attack. Further, on the basis of evidences collected during the course of investigation complicity of eleven (11) people was established, of which four (04) persons including one (01) juvenile were arrested in the instant case,” said the statement.
The accused include Aijaz Ahmad Wagay S/o Ghulam Qadir Wagay R/o Poshkreri Srigufwara, Bilal Ahmad Reshi S/o Mushtaq Ahmad Reshi R/o Iqbal Market Bijbehara, Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh S/o Mohd Maqbool Sheikh R/o Sheikh Mohalla Khudwani, Kulgam, Khalid Muzaffar Dar S/o Gh. Qadir Dar R/o Rehpora Khudwani, Kulgam, Tanveer Ahmad Dar S/o Bashir Ahmad Dar R/o Rehpora Khudwani Kulgam, Sarjeel Ahmad Sheikh S/o Ab. Hamid Sheikh R/o Khudwani, Abu Ismail @ Haroon R/o Pakistan, Yawar Bashir Wani @ Ayaan S/o Bashir Ahmad Wani R/o Habilsh Devsar, Maaviya R/o Pakistan, Furqan R/o Pakistan, and a juvenile (name withheld).
“During the investigation incontrovertible evidences have been brought on record establishing complicity of above mentioned accused persons in the instant case,” said the statement.
Different sections of the society in Kashmir had condemned the attack.
The Federation Chamber of Industries (FCIK) had called the incident a ‘dastardly action’.
Jama’at e Islami had said that it was “a cowardly act which only a frustrated lot can commit,” the spokesperson added.
Addressing a media conference, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Muneer Ahmad Khan, had said that the July 10 attack on a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims in Batengo area of Srinagar-Jammu highway which left eight pilgrims dead was carried out by Lashkar e Taiba.
However the militant outfit, in a statement to Kashmir based news agency GNS called the attack on pilgrims a ‘highly reprehensible act’ and called the incident a ‘trademark of Indian forces’.
