Dhangri terror victim’s families cancelled a massive protest on September 4 following duo’s arrest
Shyam Sood
Rajouri, Sept 2: Families of Dhangri massacre victims in Rajouri district have cancelled their massive protest scheduled for September 4 on the Jammu-Poonch highway at Muradpur Chowk following the arrest of 2 persons by investigating agency (NIA investigating the Dhangri terror attack) for harbouring terrorists involved in Dhangri terror attack.
NIA has also called Saroj Bala to Jammu–who has lost two sons in the attack— reportedly to identify those involved in the attack.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday formally arrested two persons for harbouring the terrorists who had killed seven innocent civilians—five killed on January 1 in the terror attack & 2 children were killed on January 2 in the IED blast planted by the fleeing terrorists outside the house of one of the victims– in Dhangri village of district Rajouri of UT of J&K.
The arrested duo was initially rounded up by the Poonch police in the month of April along with six others for sheltering the militants who carried out attack on the Army vehicle at Bhata Dhurian area of Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district in which five Army brave hearts sacrificed their lives on April 20.
On April 28, while talking to reporters in Rajouri district (at Darhal), DGP Police Dilbag Singh said: “ Six persons of a module have been arrested. They include those who have provided material (weapons, ammunition, explosives) to the militants besides shelter and food and guided them from one to another place,”.
Police identified three arrested persons as Mushtaq, Nissar Ahmad, and Farid Ahmad, all residents of Gursai. All of them have turned out to be the Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and had helped the militants carryout the attack.
NIA in a press note said that the duo, Nisar Ahmed @Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain, were formally arrested by the NIA on Thursday in the case (RC-01/2023/NIA/JMU).
They were produced before NIA Special Court, Jammu on Friday and were sent to 12 days NIA custody.
Incidentally, both the accused were currently lodged in Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, and Jammu in another case, registered at Police Station Gursai, Mendhar, and District Poonch.
NIA further said that on 1st January 2023, five persons were killed and others seriously injured in an attack by unknown terrorists.
The case was initially registered as FIR no. 01/2023 at police station Rajouri under sections 302/ 307 /120-B/452/323 of IPC; Sections 13/16/18 of UA (P) Act 1967 and Sections 7/27 of Arms Act.
On the directions from the Minister of Home Affairs (demanded by the victim’s family members) NIA had taken over the case and re-registered the case on 13th January.
Investigations by the NIA revealed that both the arrested accused persons were involved in harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the shocking killings of the civilians.
They had provided logistics support to the terrorists for more than two months and had sheltered them in a hideout, which was constructed by the arrested accused persons on the directions of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Taiyaba (LeT) handlers namely Saifullah @ Sajid Jutt, Abu Qatal @ Qatal Sindhi and Mohd. Qasim.
During the course of investigations of the case pertaining to the killing of innocent civilians at Dhangri, District Rajouri, a team of NIA officials camped for quite some time in the hilly terrain of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of J & K and examined a large number of suspicious entities and later zeroed in on the above mentioned accused persons who had provided the hideout.
Further Investigations of the case continue to be under process.
It is pertinent to mention here that the formal arrest of Nisar Ahmed @Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain was announced just two days ahead of the large-scale proposed protest by the families of Dhangri victims against intelligence agencies’ failure to take action against the perpetrators of Dhangri massacre & against those who provided shelter & other logistic support to these perpetrators even after more than 8 months of terror attack.
Earlier on June 12, family members of the seven civilians killed in a terror attack in Dhangri village blocked the Jammu-Poonch National Highway demanding justice, identification, and arrest of the culprits behind the attack without any further delay.
Saroj Bala said: “We have been hearing that the case has almost been solved, but there is no trace of the terrorists involved in the attack. The terrorist supporters, who facilitated the attack, are also yet to be identified,”.
