Charges framed against Hurriyat leader, seven others under UAPA
A huge amount of money was received in lieu of such admissions from parents of students, and the money was used to fund terrorism in J&K
JAMMU: : The court of the special judge designated under the NIA Act, Srinagar, headed by Manjeet Singh Manhas has framed charges against eight accused, including a Hurriyat leader, for selling Pakistani MBBS seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
They were identified as Mohammad Akbar Bhat, alias Zaffar Akbar Bhat (chairman of Salvation Movement) of Usmania Colony Baghi-mehtab, Fatima Shah of Palhalan Pattan, presently Bemina, Srinagar, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, presently in Pakistan, Qazi Yasir of Reshi Bazar, Anantnag, Mohammad Abdullah Shah of Salkoot, Kupwara, Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh of Shangus, Anantnag, Manzoor Ahmad Shah of Salkote, Kupwara, presently in Pakistan, and Mohammad Iqbal Mir of Cheeni Chowk near Khwaja Mir Ali School, Anantnag of Mahaz Azadi Front.
They were booked for committing offences under Sections 13, 17, 18, 40 UA(P) Act and Section 420 of the IPC.
The case was registered on July 27, 2020, against unscrupulous persons who were hand in glove with some educational consultancies for arranging admissions of J&K residents in MBBS and other professional courses in various colleges, institutions and universities in Pakistan.
A huge amount of money was received in lieu of such admissions from the parents of the students, and the money so earned was ploughed into supporting terrorism in J&K.
During the course of investigation, searches in the houses of accused persons and at the other places were undertaken by the sleuths of the State Investigation Agency (SIA) after obtaining search warrants from the court. The documents and other material seized during the search were analysed and it was found that deposits in the bank accounts of accused persons were made on account of providing admissions in various technical and professional courses in Pakistan, including MBBS.
Cogent evidence surfaced during the investigation that the money so received was passed on to terrorists, stone pelters and OGWS for unlawful and terrorist activities.
During the course of the investigation statement of witnesses were recorded and on the basis of other evidence collected it surfaced that the admissions to MBBS and other professional courses in Pakistan were preferentially given to those students, who were close family members/ relatives of killed terrorists on the recommendations of members of Hurriyat and received by their counterparts in Pakistan. It was on the recommendations of Hurriyat that the authorities in Pakistan provided admission in the professional colleges to the next of kin of killed terrorists as compensation to boost morale and keep the pot of terror boiling in the Valley and infuse a new spirit into the terror fold.
It was further established during the SIA investigation that a part of a larger conspiracy accused persons through different Valley-based consultancies without their knowledge used to motivate the gullible parents of students aspiring for professional courses, especially for MBBS, to apply through these consultancies.