L-G lauds J-K Police for dismantling 'white-collar' terror network; pays tributes to Nowgam victims

Jammu, Nov 16 (PTI) Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday lauded Jammu and Kashmir Police for thwarting many terrorist incidents in the country by dismantling a pan-India 'white-collar' terror module, and paid tributes to the victims of the accidental blast inside Nowgam police station.

Sinha said he has already ordered a magisterial probe into Friday night's incident that left nine persons dead and 32 others, mostly police personnel, injured.

"There is no terror conspiracy or outside interference behind the accidental blast at Nowgam. I have already ordered a magisterial probe into the incident in accordance with the law," he said.

Attending a 'Nagar Kirtan' to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur at a gurdwara here, the lieutenant governor (L-G) said an unfortunate incident took place at the Nowgam police station in Srinagar when a forensics team was collecting samples of the explosive material recovered from terrorists involved in the November 10 blast near the Red Fort in Delhi which killed 13 people.

"The blast happened during collection of samples from the seized material at 11.20 pm (Friday), resulting in the loss of many precious lives, including police personnel and revenue officials. I pay my tributes to them,” Sinha said, adding that the sampling process was going on at the police station for the past two days.

By exposing the pan-India terror network, Jammu and Kashmir Police has thwarted many terror incidents in the country and achieved a big success in its fight against terrorism, the L-G asserted. According to investigators, the terror network came to light during a probe into Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)posters threatening police and security forces, which appeared on walls in the Bunpora locality of Nowgam on October 19.

CCTV footage analysis led to the arrest of three suspects -- Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid.

Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-Imam, who allegedly supplied the posters and radicalised the doctors.

The trail led investigators to the Al Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad, where Dr Muzzamil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed were arrested, and the huge cache of explosives seized.

Investigators believe that a core trio of doctors -- Dr Ganaie, Umar Nabi (the driver of the explosives-laden car that exploded near the Red Fort), and Muzzaffar Rather (absconding) -- were running the module.

The role of the eighth arrested person, Dr Adeel Rather, brother of Muzzaffar, is still under investigation.

Paying tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur, Sinha said, "Our revered Sikh Gurus ensured India's glory through significant contributions and selfless sacrifices.

"India still stands with full strength and pride despite centuries of external invasions and economic drain. We must stand firm in our determination to build a new India of our dreams," he said. PTI TAS ARB ARB