NIA Court Sentences Three Kashmiri Students Linked to AGH Terror Module to 10 Years in Jail

Punjab Newsline | Mohali

A Special NIA Court in Mohali has sentenced three Kashmiri students linked to the banned terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in an eight-year-old terror conspiracy case. One of the convicts is a cousin of slain militant Zakir Musa.

The convicted individuals—Zahid Gulzar, Yasir Rafiq Bhat, and Mohammad Idris Shah, all residents of Jammu and Kashmir—were found guilty on June 1. They were produced before the court through video conferencing on Thursday, when the sentence was pronounced. The detailed copy of the court order is yet to be made public. All three are currently lodged in jail.

The court held the accused guilty of conspiring against the nation and convicted them under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and the Explosives Act. Another accused in the case, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, had earlier been acquitted by the court.

The case dates back to October 2018, when police received intelligence inputs that some students studying at a college in Jalandhar were allegedly involved in terrorist activities. Acting on the information, police raided a hostel room on October 10, 2018, and arrested three Kashmiri students.

The arrested students were identified as Zahid Gulzar from Awantipora, Yasir Rafiq Bhat from Tral, and Mohammad Idris Shah from Pulwama. According to investigators, Yasir Rafiq Bhat is a cousin of Zakir Musa.

Police had reportedly recovered an AK-56 rifle, a .30-bore Mauser pistol, a large quantity of ammunition, and nearly one kilogram of explosive powder believed to be an ammonium nitrate-based mixture from their possession.

During the investigation, authorities found alleged links between the accused and the terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH). Investigators claimed the group was attempting to use Kashmiri students studying in Punjab to facilitate terror plots in different parts of the country.

The probe also revealed that the accused frequently traveled to Chandigarh as part of their activities.