NIA carries fresh raids in Kashmir

A file photo of CRPF personnel outside a residence where an NIA raid was underway earlier this year. (Express Photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday raided the houses of two prominent separatist leaders, Agha Hassan Budgami and Ghulam Nabi Sumji, in Budgam and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Agha and Sumji are prominent leaders of Hurriyat (Geelani). Officials said that teams of NIA along with local police and CRPF raided the house of Agha Hassan, a prominent Shia leader and also the leader of Hurriyat led by Syed Ali Geelani. The teams are conducting thorough searches in the house. Agha is also the head of Anjuman-e-Shariaan-Shai. The other raid was carried out in the house of Ghulam Nabi Sumji at Bijbhera in South Kashmir.

For the past three days NIA has carried out dozens of raids on the houses of cross-LoC traders, stone pelters and business men. The NIA also arrested a freelance photographer Kamran Yusuf from Pulwama. While NIA says Yusuf is a stone pelter, his family and friends have termed the allegations baseless. The raids, termed by separatists as part of political vendetta, were conducted at 20 places.

The NIA, today, is conducting searches at 10 locations — Kashmir Valley: 8, Jammu: 1 and Gurgaon: 1. The eight locations of Kashmir Valley where searches are being conducted are in North, South and Central Kashmir.