16-05-2023 : The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Union Territory Police has made a significant advancement in the investigation of the murder of the well-known Muslim cleric, Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq, by capturing two fugitive assassins. These people lived in Pakistan and Nepal and had been in hiding for 33 years.
Awami Action Committee (AAC) Chairman and extremely effective political-religious figure Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq held a position of leadership in Srinagar’s illustrious Jamia Masjid. He was brutally shot dead at his home in Nageen Hazratbal on May 21, 1990, by alleged Hizbul Mujahideen militants. In the period 1986–1989, Mirwaiz was a member of the National Conference–Congress alliance, which was endorsed by Rajiv Gandhi at the time and was headed by Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
Rashmi Ranjan Swain, the Special Director General of Police CID, announced at a press conference in Srinagar that two of Mirwaiz Farooq’s assassins, namely Javed Ahmad Bhat, also known as Ajmal Khan, and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, also known as Bilal, have been located, arrested, and subsequently handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Both individuals were proclaimed offenders by a TADA court and were captured as a result of an intelligence operation conducted by the SIA. A special CBI team was flown in from New Delhi to take custody of the accused. Swain revealed that a total of five Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were involved in planning and executing the assassination of Mirwaiz Farooq, including Mohammad Abdullah Bangroo, Mohammad Ayub Dar, Abdul Rehman Shigan, Javed Ahmad Bhat, and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat.
Out of these five accused individuals, the primary conspirator, Mohammad Abdullah Bangroo, was killed in a security forces encounter in June 1990, while Abdul Rehman Shigan also met a similar fate. The CBI conducted a thorough investigation and filed a charge sheet against the remaining accused. Mohammad Ayub Dar of Rawalpora Srinagar was apprehended, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court. He later appealed the sentence, but the Supreme Court of India upheld his conviction on July 21, 2010. He is currently serving a life sentence in Srinagar Central Jail.
Swain disclosed that Javed Ahmad Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat managed to escape after the assassination and went into hiding. They were declared proclaimed offenders but eluded authorities for an extended period, finding refuge in Pakistan and Nepal. However, the SIA succeeded in tracing their whereabouts, leading to their arrest.
Following the high-profile assassination, a First Information Report (FIR) under case number 61/1990 was filed at the Nageen Police Station in Srinagar. However, on June 11, 1990, the case was transferred to the CBI, which initiated case number RC 0501990S008. Swain stated that Javed Ahmad Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, the individuals who carried out the shooting, would now face trial in the CBI case.
Quoting the CBI’s investigation, Swain revealed that the then-chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, Mohammad Abdullah Bangroo, considered Mirwaiz Farooq as a pro-peace figure and an agent of India. Bangroo planned the cleric’s assassination based on instructions he received from his handlers in Pakistan’s ISI in April 1990.
In mid-May 1990, Mohammad Ayub Dar, Abdul Rehman Shigan, and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat visited Mirwaiz Farooq’s residence, seeking financial assistance for their organization, Hizbul Mujahideen. Mirwaiz instructed them to return in a few days. They shared the details of their reconnaissance with Javed Ahmad Bhat. On May 21, 1990, Mohammad Ayub Dar, Abdul Rehman Shigan, and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat arrived at Mirwaiz Farooq’s residence. While the two associates took positions to provide cover, Zahoor Ahmad Bhat entered Mirwaiz’s office room through gardener Ghulam Qadir Sofi and personal assistant Mohammad Sayeed-ur-Rehman Shams. Zahoor fired his pistol and fatally shot Mirwaiz Farooq.
Despite being pursued by gardener Sofi, all three terrorists managed to escape, heading towards the University of Kashmir before finding shelter in their hideout at Chatargam. They reported the completion of their mission to Mohammad Abdullah Bangroo, who advised them to go into hiding.
Swain declared that the arrest of the final two accused after 33 years marked the conclusion of the investigation into Mirwaiz Farooq’s assassination. He affirmed that both individuals would face justice through the trial process.
Mirwaiz Farooq had a significant following in downtown Srinagar, and he initially campaigned for a plebiscite in accordance with the UN resolution. He emerged as a prominent rival to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the founder of the National Conference, during the 1977 Assembly elections, where he joined an anti-NC alliance supported by the ruling Janata Party. Mirwaiz Farooq and senior Janata Party leaders, including Prime Minister Morarji Desai, addressed numerous rallies together. However, the National Conference dominated the elections, leaving only two seats for the Janata Party in Kashmir.
In 1986, Mirwaiz Farooq formed an alliance with his longstanding political rival, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, which came to be known as the “Double Farooq Alliance.” The two Kashmiri leaders, along with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, addressed a massive gathering of Kashmiris at Srinagar’s Iqbal Park.
The NC-Congress coalition left two seats open in the 1987 Assembly elections for candidates put up by Mirwaiz Farooq. Both candidates were elected in Srinagar, however, Peer Mohammad Shafi, the one from Zadibal Srinagar, was killed in an attack by terrorists in August 1991.
Umar Farooq, his 17-year-old son, succeeded his father in political and religious preaching when Mirwaiz Farooq was killed. Despite the Indian government providing him with a lot of security, Mirwaiz Umar sided with Pakistan as alleged and rose to the position of first Chairman of the separatist organization known as the “All Party Hurriyat Conference.”