Srinagar, April 18: Senior religious and Huriyat Conference (HC) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said on Friday that authorities have placed him under house arrest, thereby denying him the right to offer congregational prayers during the day.

Mirwaiz Farooq said on X, “Every Friday I am put under arbitrary house arrest ! Putting pressure on me not to speak up, the ban also aims to weaken the centrality of Muslim institutions of the valley-the Jama Masjid, office of the Mirwaiz, and cause collective grief to Muslims and all those who oppose this authoritarian and sectarian outlook. My house detention case is still pending in court, where I am seeking relief from the Hon’ble High Court, but In such times patience remains our only strength.”

Mirwaiz traditionally delivers the Friday sermon at the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of old Srinagar city. He also heads the Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam, a religious organisation that runs some educational institutions in Kashmir, including the Islamia High School in Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last month declared the Mirwaiz-headed Awami Action Committee (ACC) a banned organisation for five years. The ACC was formed in 1963 during the Holy Relic agitation by Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq. After the elder Mirwaiz was assassinated in 1990 by the terrorists, the ACC came to be headed by his son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The MHA order said that the ACC has been encouraging youth to violence and is acting in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the state.

Mirwaiz Farooq, who is the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, has witnessed the desertion of several affiliates. As many as 12 Hurriyat-linked organisations have broken off from secessionism, reposing trust in the Constitution of India.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that “separatism has become history in Kashmir”, and the unifying policies of the Modi government have eliminated separatism in J&K. He has also said this is a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Chandigarh, April 18: National Investigation Agency (NIA) charge-sheeted Harpreet Singh, accused of carrying out terror attacks in Punjab, has been arrested by the US security agencies – the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations in California’s Sacramento.

The FBI said on Friday that Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, entered the US illegally and used burner phones to evade capture.

Hailing from Passia village in Ajnala, the terrorist has been linked to at least 16 grenade attacks in Punjab, targeting police posts, religious sites, and residences.

On March 23, the NIA chargesheeted four terror operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist organisation in the 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack case.

The chargesheeted accused include Pakistan-based designated individual terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, and US-based Happy Passia.

Sandhu and Passia were the primary handlers and conspirators behind the attack. They had provided logistical support, terror funds, weapons, and ammunition to India-based on-ground operatives in Chandigarh for executing the grenade attack, said the NIA.

The September 2024 attack was intended to target a retired officer of the Punjab Police, whom the assailants believed to be the occupant of the house.

NIA investigations revealed that Rinda, along with Passia, had orchestrated the conspiracy to strike terror among law enforcement officials and the public through the grenade attack, as part of the broader aim to promote BKI’s terrorist agenda.

They had recruited local operatives, Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, who were tasked with carrying out the attack on their direct instructions.

Rinda and Passia directed the other accused, Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, to conduct reconnaissance on the target twice before hurling the grenade, investigations revealed.

In the chargesheet filed before the Special NIA Court in Chandigarh, all four accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, and other related provisions, for their roles in planning and supporting the attack.

Investigations in the case are continuing, and the NIA is trying to track down other members of the BKI terror group and dismantle its network in India.

New Delhi, April 18: A 17-year-old boy was brutally stabbed to death in J-Block of New Seelampur in North East Delhi, said officials on Friday.

The deceased, identified as Kunal, son of Rajveer and a resident of the same area, was attacked around 7.38 p.m. on Thursday.

According to police officials, information about the stabbing incident was received at PS Seelampur soon after. Kunal was immediately rushed to JPC Hospital for medical treatment. However, despite the best efforts of doctors, he succumbed to his injuries during the course of treatment.

Following the incident, the crime team was dispatched to the spot to conduct a thorough investigation. A case has been registered at Seelampur Police Station, and multiple police teams have been deployed to identify and apprehend the assailant(s).

Senior officers are supervising the probe, and officials assured that the investigation is being conducted on a priority basis.

The motive behind the murder is yet to be established, and police are examining CCTV footage and questioning potential witnesses to get leads in the case.

Residents of New Seelampur have expressed concern over the safety in the area and have urged law enforcement agencies to take swift and strict action.

The investigation into Kunal’s murder is underway, further details are awaited.

In light of recent criminal incidents and to strengthen security in the national capital, Delhi Police have intensified its general patrolling efforts across the city. A city-wide night patrolling drive is being carried out from 11.00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. in various areas, including Defence Colony. As part of this operation, barricades were set up and checks were conducted on suspicious vehicles.

Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Jain said, “The general patrolling campaign is part of our regular drill. We also conducted a general patrolling campaign in March, and this one is for the month of April. During this general patrolling campaign, officers of all ranks, whether constables, inspectors, ACPs, DCPs, even Special CPs and the Commissioner of Police himself, participate and conduct checks on the roads.”