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NIA probe to clarify Liyaqat's role: DGP
KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 3/31/2013 10:50:55 PM
`Geelani, Malik, Shah to be released soon’
JAMMU, Mar 31: Director General of Police Ashok Prasad on Sunday said suspected Hizbul Mujahideen ultra Syed Liyaqat Shah, presently in judicial custody in the union capital, could not be labelled as a "terrorist or innocent" until the investigation was complete.
“This is to be decided in the investigation, you cannot label a person a terrorist or innocent until the investigation process is complete," Prasad told reporters on the sidelines of the Police Mela here in response to a question on Liyaqat.
The DGP said the state was waiting for the probe to be over and only then a call on Liyaqat's status could be made.
“We are waiting for the completion of the investigation process, Delhi Police has already done some investigation, NIA (National Investigation Agency) is doing the investigation and whatever is the finding, I am sure everyone will act accordingly,” he said.
Delhi Police had last week claimed to have foiled a “fidayeen attack” in the national capital during Holi with the arrest of Liyaqat from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
However, the J&K police had said that he was returning to his home in the Valley from Pakistan via the Nepal border to surrender under the rehabilitation policy, but was arrested by Delhi Police.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah last night in an interview to a news channel had said: "Given the complete divergent point of view of Delhi Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police, we needed an objective organisation to look into the facts and tell us the truth behind the whole matter.”
He also said the state and the Centre were not on “cross-purposes” over the issue and praised the union government for handing the case to the NIA for investigation.
“It's Delhi Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police that have given divergent views. The Government of India has not taken a position on this. They have done the right thing by handing it over to the NIA. We are not on cross-purposes with the Centre on this,” Omar had said.
In the meanwhile, the DGP, while talking to a local news agency, stated that other separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mohammad Yasin Malik and Shabir Ahamd Shah would also be released as soon as the normalcy returned to valley.
Last week, the government had lifted restriction on Mirwaiz Umar Farooq after 45 days.
DGP said that these separatist leaders though were not directly involved in stone pelting, had people associated with them who were organizing the stone pelting incidents.
“We are getting a feedback from the public that we should not make hasty decisions on the release of separatists as they fear releasing them would push the public back to square one,” DGP was quoted by the local agency on Sunday. Prasad said that the people were eagerly waiting for the better tourism season and an uninterrupted schooling for their children in the coming months.
He added, “We would be considering the release of Geelani, Malik or others when we are satisfied that the normalcy has returned in valley completely.” He however was quick to add that the administration was working to restore the normalcy in the valley that had seen fresh spell of turbulence over recent months, after the secrete hanging of Parliament attack Convict Mohammad Afzal Guru.
On the issue of beating of Kashmiri students in Bangalore, DGP said that the Kashmir Police had taken up the matter with the Karnataka Police and said that no Kashmiri student had been detained there.
“IGP Kashmir has taken up the matter with Karnataka Police and as far as our information is concerned no Kashmiri student has been detained there,” DGP said. He said the primary reports suggested that some local students were ragging the students from Bihar, however some Kashmiri students were there just as spectators. DGP added that after they finished the ragging, Kashmiri students reportedly teased Bihari students which triggered a scuffle resulting in the minor injuries to students from both the camps. “There was however a patch up between the two groups later,” claimed DGP.