SRINAGAR: The state police have arrested two persons for allegedly being involved in the blasts at Lajpat Nagar in Delhi and Dausa in Rajasthan; they were taken to Delhi on a specially chartered flight last week.

‘The accused, 45year old Farida Dar and Farooq Ahmed Khan (30), a civil engineer employed in the state government, were last week handed over to a special team of Delhi Police by Farooq Khan, SP, Special Operations Group (SOC) of the state police. Although authorities remained tightlipped about the arrests, sources revealed that both were important functionaries of the outlawed militant outfit Ikhwan ul Muslimeen. In fact, the Jammu Kashmir Islamic Front = and Lashkar e Sajjad the organizations which had claimed responsibility for the Lajpat Nagar blasts, are fronts of this organization… The Ikhwan ul Muslimeen was once a prominent organization in Kashmir, known for selective killings and kidnappings. ‘The arrested woman is the sister of Bilal Beig, “commander in chief” of the Muslimeen, who is now based in Pakistan. The other accused is a government employed civil engineer from Anantnag. He was engaged to Fonda’s daughter. Who is a first year student in a Srinagar college? ‘The sources said Farooq and Farida were part of a group which hatched a conspiracy (0 engineer bomb basis ‘outside the state to thwart the Kashmir elections.

Farida was in touch with her brother and is said to be a coconspirator in several blasts which this outfit had successfully engineered in Delhi this year. In fact, Sajjad Kenoo, the fugitive leader of the group, who had escaped from a jail, was killed in January in an encounter at the Nau pora residence of Farida. The militants who were behind the blasts would conduct all their meetings at Farida’s residence.

Delhi Police, with the help of the SOG of the state police, have identified all Ute main suspects in the blast cases and raids in Delhi and Jaipur arc likely to follow in the coming days.

A group of women last week held a demonstrator outside the Shergarhi police station here demanding Farida’s: release. Farida had been lodged in this police station before she was flown, along with Farooq Ahmed khan to Delhi for interrogation.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 29, 1996

 

Article extracted from this publication >>