3 Kashmiri students linked to terror outfit get 10-year jail term

Mohali: A special NIA court in Mohali has sentenced three Kashmiri students linked to banned terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment each for conspiring to carry out terrorist activities and possessing weapons and explosives.Among those convicted is Yasir Rafiq Bhat, a cousin of slain militant Zakir Musa, the former chief of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.The convicts — Zahid Gulzar of Awantipora, Yasir Rafiq Bhat of Tral and Mohammad Idris Shah of Pulwama — were found guilty under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), IPC, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act. Another accused, Suhail Ahmed Bhat, was acquitted for lack of evidence.The court had convicted the three on June 1 and pronounced the sentence on Thursday through video conferencing. All substantive sentences will run concurrently, meaning the convicts will undergo a maximum of 10 years in prison. Defence counsel said the trio had already spent about seven years and eight months in custody and would challenge the verdict in the high court.According to the prosecution, security agencies received intelligence inputs in 2018 about Kashmiri students residing at the hostel of CT Institute of Engineering, Management and Technology in Jalandhar allegedly being involved in terrorist activities.During a raid on Oct 10, 2018, security personnel arrested the three accused and recovered an AK-47 rifle, a .30-bore Mauser pistol, ammunition and nearly 1 kg of explosive powder from their hostel room.The case was subsequently handed over to the National Investigation Agency after evidence emerged linking the accused to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.During the trial, the prosecution examined 62 witnesses. Though some witnesses turned hostile, the court held that scientific, forensic and digital evidence, including mobile phone data, Telegram chats and forensic reports, established the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.In its judgment, the court observed that the convicts were active members of the banned organisation and had collected arms and explosive material as part of a conspiracy to carry out terrorist activities and disrupt the democratic system.Investigators had alleged that the outfit was attempting to recruit Kashmiri students studying in Punjab to facilitate terror activities in different parts of the country.