Close to breakthrough in Pulwama attack case: NIA

The statement from the agency came in the wake of reports that a special court had granted bail to an accused in the Pulwama attack case. Raising the issue, the Congress said it was an “insult” to the security personnel killed in the terror attack and demanded Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation.

The Pulwama case has been stuck for several months now as all the identified accused are either dead or in Pakistan. Even though NIA identified the attacker and traced the car used in the attack to its owner, it could not move beyond as the attacker died in the suicide attack and his local handler and car owner were killed in an encounter.

Meanwhile, the NIA said it had found no evidence against one of seven overground workers arrested in connection with a terror case, who has now been granted bail. Chopan was arrested along with six others in the case. Two more accused were killed in an encounter. One of them, Mudassir Ahmed Khan, was alleged to have been involved in the Pulwama attack.

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“During the investigation in the JeM conspiracy case, seven Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were arrested. However, out of which six accused were chargesheeted in two chargesheets and Yousuf Chopan was not chargesheeted due to inadequate evidence. As such he has been granted default bail by Spl. NIA Court New Delhi on 18.02.2020 and he has been sent back to Kot Bhalwal Jail Jammu under Public Safety Act by the order of DM Pulwama. Needless to say, NIA follows the policy of fairest possible investigation, “ NIA said in a statement.