NIA questions office-bearers of seminary in Pulwama

The National Investigation Agency Friday carried out a raid at a seminary in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and questioned four office-bearers of the institution.

Local media reported that national probe agency sleuths accompanied by the local police raided a Darul-Uloom in Pinglana area of Pulwama and confiscated some documents besides questioning four people associated with the seminary.

Police cordoned the seminary from outside and the NIA officers went inside to question the office bearers of the seminary. Those who were questioned include Ghulam Mohidin Sheikh, president of local Auqaf and chairman of the seminary. The other three who were questioned include Mufti Shoukat, Ahmad Naik and Javed Ahmad Najar.

The raid comes a week after the NIA arrested former president of cross-LoC Traders Association, Tanveer Ahmed Wani, a resident of Pulwama.

Earlier this month, the NIA raided several locations for two days, on February 2 and 3, in south and north Kashmir, including the residence of suspended DySp Davinder Singh, who was arrested while ferrying Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants last month.

A 20-member NIA team had arrived in Kashmir on February 1 to collect more evidence against Singh whose arrest shook the security agencies in J&K and Centre. Singh is currently being questioned in Jammu by the NIA officials after getting his transit remand.

The NIA had booked Singh and four others under Arms Act, Explosive Substance Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and recovered 32 items from them including an AK-47 rifle and US and Chinese made pistols and ammunition.

Singh was an officer in Anti-hijacking wing of J&K police at Srinagar International Airport, and was part of the security staff that received a group of foreign ambassadors, including US ambassador, who visited Kashmir in early January.