LeT militant who escaped from Srinagar hospital a suspect in Shujaat Bukhari murder case

Mangalore Today News Network

Kashmir , Jun 28, 2018 : One of the three suspects identified by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the murder of journalist Shujaat Bukhari included escaped Lashker-e-Taiba militant Naveed Jatt, a Pakistani national, news agency PTI quoted police officials in Srinagar as saying.

 

Top police officers were not ready to disclose more details about the case, terming it “sensitive,” and asked journalists to wait for an official statement.

“The case has been solved and all the attackers identified,” said a police officer.

Jatt, who escaped from the busy SMHS hospital in February this year, is associated with Lashker-e-Taiba.

The officers, who are directly involved in investigations, said Bukhari was gunned down by terrorists on instructions from across the border, most probably for trying to promote peace in the Valley.

Bukhari, 50, the editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir newspaper, was attacked by three gunmen on a motorcycle while he was entering his car on June 14. Two of his security guards were also killed as the gunmen sprayed bullets on them.

A special investigation team headed by deputy inspector general (DIG), Srinagar, of Jammu and Kashmir police VK Birdi identified the three men on the basis of closed circuit television (CCTV) camera recordings. People familiar with the development said a Pakistan-based anonymous blogger who targeted Bukhari and other journalists has also been identified.


J&K police have arrested two people in this case, but ruled out their involvement in the murder. During interrogation, police found that they had no links with the attackers; one of the arrested men stole the pistol of a special police officer (SPO) killed in the attack. The weapon was also recovered by the police.

The people familiar with the development cited above said the police got vital clues from the murder site and also from the CCTV cameras. The police identified the militants after a thorough investigation, based on technology and human intelligence, they said.

After the killing of Bukhari, the police released pictures of three militants on a motorcycle and blamed them for killing the senior editor and his security guards. Militant groups have denied killing the senior journalist and instead blamed security agencies.

While police has accused Lashker-e-Taiba for killing Bukhari, the terror outfit has dubbed it as an attempt to defame the outfit.

In an email statement, LeT chief Mahmood Shah said, “We would like to call their (Indian Army’s) bluff. If Indian forces are truly convinced that this heinous crime was committed by mujahideen (LeT militants), then they should have no objection to an independent investigation of this murder by a neutral country such as China or Russia.”

Journalists have held several protests in Srinagar and asked the government to identify the killers. Even the separatist Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), headed by separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called for a day-long strike against the killing of Bukhari and other civilians.

A journalist for three decades, Bukhari worked for 15 years at The Hindu and was known in the state and the rest of the country as an important Kashmiri voice. Bukhari was an advocate of a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue and was instrumental in organising conferences involving former diplomats and generals from India and Pakistan.



courtesy:NDTV