J&K: SIA files charge-sheet against ex-minister in terror funding case

Jammu, Sep 24 (IANS) The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of J&K police on Saturday filed a charge-sheet against a former minister and two others in a terror funding case.

A statement issued by the SIA said that a charge-sheet has been filed against ex-minister Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh, Muhammad Shareef Shah and Muhammad Hussain Khateeb in a case lodged at Gandhi Nagar police station in Jammu district, which was later transferred to the SIA, with a request to the court that a supplementary charge-sheet will be filed in near future.

Babu Singh, a former Congress leader, was a minister in the Congress-PDP coalition government in J&K.

Of the three accused, Muhammad Hussain Khateeb is believed to be hiding in Pakistan at present.

"Muhammad Shareef Shah was arrested by Jammu police along with militancy fund amounting to Rs 6,90,000 which was meant for Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh and was intended to be used for the anti-national activities of Babu Singh and his party, namely 'Nature Mankind Friendly Global Party'," the SIA statement said.

Babu Singh was in touch with the militants of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and separatists of JKLF (an unlawful association), it added.

"These inimical entities had sent this militancy fund from Pakistan through their associates for Babu Singh's party. The vision document of this party floated by accused Babu Singh was to make J&K, PoK and Gilgit Baltistan as one independent country by making a condominium of Pakistan and India for having joint control over currency, external affairs and finance.

"During investigation, it has been revealed that Babu Singh was in contact with Muhammad Hussain Khateeb over encrypted social media applications and had clandestinely visited Dubai for arranging funds. Muhammad Shareef Shah was designated as secretary of this party, who received these funds in Kashmir through unknown person and travelled to Jammu to handover these funds to Babu Singh. This fund was arranged by Muhammad Hussain Khateeb, but Muhammad Shareef Shah was arrested before he could hand over this militancy fund to Babu Singh.

"The investigation has established that Babu Singh was conducting online meetings and interviews with the adversary and in his online address, he compared a militant, Maqbool Bhat, with Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev and termed Maqbool Bhat as freedom fighter and martyr of J&K, who laid down his life for the independence of Jammu and Kashmir.

"In one such online interview, Babu Singh has challenged and threatened the government of India to desist from further breaking Jammu and Kashmir, this reference is in context of abrogation of Article 370.

"The association of Babu Singh with Muhammad Hussain Khateeb and other cadres of Hizbul operating from Pakistan has also been established in the course of the investigation.

"Anti-national and highly inflammatory content has been recovered by SIA from the mobile phone of Babu Singh, which establishes his intention to damage and threaten the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India," the SIA statement said.