In a fresh twist to the controversy surrounding the arrest of alleged Hizbul Mujahideen militant Liaquat Ali Shah, the Central intelligence agencies have criticised the Jammu and Kashmir police, saying that the local police too had been working on the same leads but failed to crack the case as Shah was first picked up by a joint team of the Intelligence Bureau and Delhi police’s special cell.
Meanwhile, home secretary R.K. Singh said a decision on whether an inquiry is required into the incident will be taken only after a thorough scrutiny of both versions. The Jammu and Kashmir government has demanded a probe by the NIA into the entire episode.
In a comprehensive report given to the Union ministry of home affairs, the intelligence agency has dismissed the J&K police and state government theory of Shah’s surrender.
Sources said the report states, “There is a clear laid-down procedure for militants willing to cross over from Nepal for surrender. For this the J&K police works in close coordination both with the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) and the Kashmir Desk. But surprisingly, in this case, the state police did not inform either of the two divisions.”
The intelligence agency has informed the ministry of home affairs that they had Shah under the scanner since the beginning of March when they zeroed in on a suspicious call.