The J&K Police State Investigation Agency (SIA), on Saturday filed a chargesheet against 12 persons in connection with the murder of a Kashmiri Pandit, Sanjay Sharma, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district in February 2023.
A police spokesperson said the targeted killing was “aimed to disrupt the revival of peace and communal harmony in the Valley, using the murder of an innocent person from the minority community to fuel communal disharmony and sustain terrorism”.
Sharma was shot dead in Achhan, Pulwama, on February 26, 2023. The police said the investigation revealed a broader conspiracy originating from across the border.
The police said eight out of 12 accused, including three juveniles, were currently under judicial custody. Three of the accused were killed in encounters with security forces. Zaffar Hussain Bhat alias Khursheed Kashmiri and Khalid Kamran are presently absconding.
One accused, Jazim Farooq Wani, who pulled the trigger, received weapon handling training from Nassir Farooq Shah on the directives of Pakistani handler Khalid Kamran.
The police said the accused persons were involved in the crime, “including providing logistical support, harboring the accused, and concealing evidence”.
The police said evidence in the form of mobile devices, incriminating documents, and one pistol magazine and live cartridges had been seized.
Meanwhile, the J&K Police booked one person under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) in north Kashmir’s Baramulla for his alleged anti-national activities.
Describing the accused, Ahmad Ganie, son of Ghulam Mohammad Ganie from Raipora Palhallan Pattan in Baramulla as “a hard-core instigator”, the police said he was detained under the PSA and subsequently lodged at the Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal.
“Many cases were registered against him and he was involved in the disturbance of law and order and subversion. He did not mend his anti-national activities and was again involved in instigating and disturbing the peaceful environment,” the police said.
The J&K Police also produced a chargesheet against two accused persons in a case related to the recovery of arms and ammunition in Srinagar’s Batamaloo area.
One of the accused was killed during an encounter with the security forces at Shah Mohalla Yadipora Palhallan.
