Another alleged terrorist proved innocent. The old story of Police atrocities and false implication of cases against Muslims continues.
In a fresh case, National Investigation Agency (NIA), filed charge sheet against a fugitive police informer, exonerating a Jammu and Kashmir resident whom the Delhi Police Special Cell had arrested about two years ago on charges of being a Hizb-ul Mujahideen member.
The NIA charge sheet names head constables Manish, Gulvir Singh and Mohammed Iqbal Dar, DCP Sanjeev Yadav, inspectors Sanjay Dutt and Rahul Kumar, as special cell personnel who were either in touch with Pathan while he was planting explosives in Haji Arafat Guest House near Jama Masjid or with others who facilitating his return under J&K government’s rehabilitation policy for former militants, much before Shah arrived in Kathmandu.
An NIA official said that, “We will submit a report on the role of Special Cell officers to the Union Home Ministry. It is up to the Ministry to decide further course of action.”
In March 2013, the Special Cell had shown Liaquat’s arrest from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that he was a Hizb member and that he was intercepted when he was trying to sneak into the country through the Nepal border. The unit claimed to have seized an AK-56 rifle.
“NIA has not considered the evidence and statements we provided them against Shah. This is a prejudiced investigation,” senior officer said that.
“Haqla was in touch with DCP Yadav through his three Indian mobile numbers 9906694442, 9797895585 & 9469617986 and one Nepal mobile number 00977-9817183487 while he was in Srinagar as well as in Nepal for the purpose of receiving the returnees. Haqla spoke to Yadav on March 15, 2013, while he was leaving Srinagar before proceeding to Nepal via Delhi, during which he briefed the DCP about his visit to Nepal,”according to charge sheet.
All these officers are from special cell, During the operational period (i.e. when Pathan planted explosives in the guesthouse)… he spoke with head constable Manish (7503370506) once, investigating officer of the case inspector Sanjay Dutt (9212150503) three times, head constable Mohammad Iqbal Dar (mobile numbers 7503370415, 7503370411, 8375995138) 34 times, inspector Rahul Kumar (7503370501) once, and Gulvir Singh 9212120604) once, According to the charge sheet, while one of the numbers Pathan used was registered at the address of the special cell ‘thana’.
“Sabir Khan Pathan was located at Lodhi Colony area (where the special cell police station is located) till 1.07pm before moving to Haji Arafat Guest House on March. He returned to Lodhi Colony area at about 11.34 pm after his visit to the guesthouse on March 21.” charge sheet said that, further cementing his association with special cell and the latter’s involvement in Shah’s frame up.
During investigations, the NIA found the person who had planted the AK-56 and hand-grenades in the Old Delhi guesthouse was a Special Cell informer. The agency has already obtained CCTV footage of the guesthouse which shows a man, suspected to be police informer Sabir Khan Pathan, wearing a cap and carrying a backpack. The accused, a permanent resident of Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh, vanished from the scene after the NIA took over the case.