NIA Chargesheets Shabir Ahmad Shah, Five Other Senior Hurriyat Leaders in 1996 Srinagar Violence Case

New Delhi, July 10 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a chargesheet against six senior leaders of the Hurriyat Conference in connection with a 1996 case relating to mob violence, attacks on police personnel, and alleged criminal conspiracy during a funeral procession in Srinagar.

The chargesheet was submitted before the NIA Special Court in Jammu in connection with a case that was originally registered at Police Station Shergarhi, Srinagar, following the violence that occurred on July 17, 1996, during the funeral procession of slain militant Hilal Ahmad Beigh.

According to the NIA, those named in the chargesheet include Shabir Ahmad Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ganie Lone, Mohd. Yaqoob Wakeel alias Mohd. Yaqoob Vakil, Javid Ahmad Mir, and Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi.

The accused have been booked under various provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), 1989, including charges related to criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, rioting, and assault on public servants, besides Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The agency stated that proceedings against Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ganie Lone, and Mohd. Yaqoob Wakeel have abated due to their deaths during the course of the proceedings. However, the chargesheet reportedly outlines their alleged roles in the conspiracy and the unlawful assembly, supported by evidence collected during the investigation.

According to the NIA, its investigation revealed that the six Hurriyat leaders had allegedly led an unlawful assembly during the funeral procession and incited large-scale violence against police personnel at Naaz Crossing in Srinagar. The agency further alleged that armed militants had mingled with the procession and opened indiscriminate fire at police personnel, resulting in injuries to several police officials, while government vehicles were also damaged during heavy stone-pelting.

The investigation further claims that the accused raised anti-India, pro-Pakistan and secessionist slogans, and delivered inflammatory speeches advocating armed struggle.

The NIA said its probe established that the violence was part of a larger and pre-planned criminal conspiracy aimed at using the funeral procession as a platform to propagate separatist ideology, mobilise public support against the Government of India, provoke public disorder, incite violence against law enforcement agencies, and demonstrate the organisational strength of the Hurriyat Conference in Jammu and Kashmir.

The case, registered as RC-01/2026/NIA/JMU, was taken over by the NIA in April 2026 on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs after initially being investigated by Jammu and Kashmir Police.

The anti-terror agency said further investigation into the case is underway.(KNC)