Chargesheet against journo, 9 others in J&K

SRINAGAR : Police on Thursday filed a chargesheet against journalist Asif Sultan and nine other persons for allegedly harbouring militants and conspiring with banned terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, officials said on Thursday.

Police had registered a case after militants had escaped from a residential area Diyarwani of Batmaloo in August last year after firing indiscriminately at a police searching party. Selection grade constable Parvaiz Ahmad had died in the attack. Police had launched an operation at Diyarwani locality after they got a tipoff about militant presence in the area. Besides the journalist, police also chargesheeted Mohammed Shafeeq Bhat, Waseem Khan, Bilal Ahmed Bhat of Kund Qazigund and Shazia Yaqoob alias Pari of Kamad Anantnag and Asif Sultan of Firdousabad under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code and the Arms Act. Three absconding, active militants of Hizbul Mujahideen — Abbas Sheikh, Aqib Nazir and Tehseen Ahmed — have been named in the chargesheet.