BuzzBytes News Desk
Highlights:
The NIA has filed a chargesheet against six Hurriyat Conference leaders, including the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Ahmed Shah, over mob violence and indiscriminate firing on police in Srinagar in 1996.
The case relates to a July 17, 1996 incident when a funeral procession for slain terrorist Hilal Ahmad Beigh at Naaz Crossing turned violent and armed terrorists blended in the mob fired on police.
Charges against the deceased accused — Geelani, Abdul Ganie Lone and Mohd Yaqoob Wakeel — have abated due to their deaths during the pendency of proceedings.
The charges were filed under the Ranbir Penal Code and Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, with further investigation currently underway.
New Delhi, Jul 10: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against six separatist leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, including the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Ahmed Shah, in connection with a case of mob violence and indiscriminate firing on police personnel in Srinagar in 1996.
The agency, in a statement issued here, said the chargesheet was filed before a competent court against Shabir Ahmad Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani (since deceased), Abdul Ganie Lone (since deceased), Mohd Yaqoob Wakeel (since deceased), Javid Ahmad Mir, and Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi. The charges against the deceased leaders have abated due to their death during the pendency of the proceedings, the NIA said.
However, the agency maintained that the investigation has clearly established the roles of all six in the criminal conspiracy, adding that the chargesheet contains supporting evidence regarding their common object in the unlawful assembly.
The case pertains to an incident on July 17, 1996, when a funeral procession of slain terrorist Hilal Ahmad Beigh at Naaz Crossing in Srinagar turned violent. According to the NIA, the accused separatist leaders led an unlawful assembly and instigated large-scale violence against police personnel. Armed terrorists, who had blended in with the mob, fired indiscriminately at the police, resulting in injuries to several officials. Government vehicles were also extensively damaged in the heavy stone pelting that followed.
The central probe agency further stated that the Hurriyat leaders actively incited the mob by raising anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans and delivering inflammatory speeches advocating an armed struggle. The NIA alleged that the violence was part of a larger, pre-planned criminal conspiracy to use the funeral as a platform to propagate separatist ideology and mobilize public support against the Government of India.
“The mob violence was part of a larger, pre-planned criminal conspiracy of the Hurriyat leadership to use the funeral procession as a platform for propagating separatist ideology, mobilising public support against the Government of India, provoking public disorder, and inciting violence against law enforcement agencies,” the NIA said.
The charges have been filed under the Ranbir Penal Code for criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, rioting, and assault on public servants, along with Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The case was initially registered at Police Station Shergarhi, Srinagar, and was taken over by the NIA in April 2026. Further investigation into the matter is currently underway, the agency added.
