A decorated J&K DySP was arrested 'ferrying terrorists'. How is he linked to Afzal Guru?

On Sunday, the Shopian Superintendent of Police in Jammu and Kashmir received specific intelligence input that two militants were travelling in a vehicle on the national highway towards Jammu. The car was intercepted. The incident according to the police: Along with two militants, a resident who is also an advocate, listed in police records as an OGW (overground worker), and a decorated deputy superintendent of police, posted with a strategic department at the airport, was caught. Singh, who was awarded the President's police medal last year, had been on the radar of the police for some time and a special watch was mounted on him, reports claimed. The entire operation was monitored by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (South Kashmir) Atul Goyal who himself stood at an intersection to intercept the vehicle. Police teams were sent to various places, including Singh's residence, from where two pistols and an AK rifle were seized.

Singh, who was in line for a promotion as superintendent of police later this month, was posted at the anti-hijacking unit at the Srinagar airport. He was under the radar of the police when the plan was being hatched for smuggling out the terrorists.

But, this is not the first time that Singh has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Singh's name had also surfaced during investigations for the 2001 Parliament attack when convict Afzal Guru had alleged his role. In a letter written in 2013, Afzal Guru, who was executed after being convicted for the Parliament attack, explained how "DSP Davinder Singh", the then deputy superintendent of police of Special Operations Group, had asked him to "take Mohammad", a co-accused in the Parliament attack case, "to Delhi, rent a flat for his stay and purchase a car for him", according to multiple reports.

According to Afzal's letter accessed by Scroll.in, “One day Altaf took me to Dravinder Singh (DSP). DS told me that I had to do a small job for him that has to took one man to Delhi as I was well aware about Delhi and has to manage a rented house for him. Since I was not knowing the man but I suspected that this man is not Kashmiri as he did not speak in Kashmiri but I was helpless to do what Dravinder told me. I took him to Delhi.”

However, the angle was probed and could not be substantiated with any evidence. The arrest of the decorated officer, while accompanying two wanted terrorists to Jammu days before the Republic Day, has again raised the questions posed by Guru, opposition leaders claimed.

“J&K cop Davinder Singh caught with Hizbul Terrorists. His name had earlier been mentioned in Afzal Guru's letter This feels very suspicious, especially at a time when the BJP govt is unhappy with the attention #CAA protests are getting!” tweeted Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed.

Along with Singh was arrested terrorists of the banned Hizbul Mujaideen—Naveed Baba who was its district commander, and Altaf. Baba, who was a police constable and deserted the force in 2017 to join the Hizbul Mujahideen, has been involved in cases of killing of police personnel and civilians, the IGP told a press conference.

Details of the operation

Giving details of Saturday's operation, IGP Vijay Kumar said the Shopian Superintendent of Police had got a specific intelligence input that two militants were travelling in a vehicle on the national highway towards Jammu.

"The SP Shopian informed me and I directed DIG south Kashmir and a naka was laid. The car was searched and two wanted militants were there. A deputy superintendent of police was also there along with a resident who is an advocate and a listed OGW (overground worker) in our records," he said.

The IGP said the militants and the officer were interrogated by the police and then all agencies, including intelligence agencies IB and RAW, working in the valley.

"I called all the security forces and agencies for a joint interrogation which is still going on. One of the militants has been identified as a top commander Naveed who was a police constable in 2017 and had decamped with four rifles from Budgam. He has been involved in police and civilian killings and threatening orchardists. 17 FIRs have been registered against him. He is the district commander of Shopian and 2IC of HM commander Riyaz Naikoo," Kumar said.

He said the case has been registered into the incident under the Unlawful Activities Act and the Arms Act. Asked if any recovery has been made from the officer's residence, Kumar said some recoveries have been made. "It is a matter of investigation and the recovery has been brought into the case FIR," he said.

On whether his involvement with militants was a bigger security risk as the officer was posted in the anti-hijacking unit of the police at the Srinagar airport, the IGP said, "The joint interrogation is on in which all agencies, security forces, police, IB, RAW, CID, all are involved and that has been done as this is a sensitive matter and so that no loopholes are there.

 He said the owner of the vehicle is being verified. The IGP denied allegations about police's involvement with militants, saying "it cannot be generalised". He also said the J&K police was on par with the NIA to carry out the detailed probe.

-Inputs from PTI