DSP held in J&K to be treated as ultra

Tribune News Service

Srinagar January 12

Decorated police officer Davinder Singh, caught with two militants and an associate carrying arms on Saturday, would be dealt with like any other “militant”.

“Singh has worked on several anti-militancy operations. But what he did yesterday is a heinous crime. That’s why he is being treated on a par with militants,” said Inspector General of Police Kashmir Vijay Kumar.

Singh was arrested along with cop-turned-Hizb commander Naveed Babu, militant Rafi Rather and over-ground worker (OGW) Irfan Mir after police intercepted his vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Wanpow in south Kashmir and found five grenades inside.

Police sources said two AK-47 rifles were seized in a subsequent raid at Singh’s house at the Indra Nagar locality, which houses Army’s strategic base 15 Corps in Srinagar.

IGP Vijay Kumar said Singh was arrested and remanded in custody. “Interrogation is under way and we have several leads that we would not like to share at this moment,” he said. Davinder Singh was awarded the prestigious President’s Police Medal for Gallantry on August 15 last year.

He shot into news after a letter written by Afzal Guru claimed the officer had asked him to accompany Parliament attack accused Muhammad to Delhi and arrange for his stay there.

When asked by a reporter that Singh had confessed during an interview that he asked Afzal to ferry Muhammad, who was killed in Parliament attack, to New Delhi, IGP Vijay Kumar said the police would look into that.

The 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal was hanged and buried on February 9, 2012.

Afzal had written a letter to his lawyer in 2004 while he was lodged in ward No 6, jail number 1 of Tihar. Afzal explained how “DSP Davinder Singh”, the then DSP of J&K Police’s special operations group at Humhama, asked him to “take Muhammad”, a co-accused in the Parliament attack case, “to Delhi, rent a flat for his stay and purchase a car for him”.

In connection with yesterday’s case, an FIR has been filed against Singh and other accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act.

A former counter-insurgency officer, Singh was currently posted at the sensitive Srinagar international airport. The officer is also seen in recent pictures receiving foreign envoys at the Srinagar airport on Thursday. Naveed Mushtaq, alias Naveed Babu, of Nazneenpora, Shopian, had deserted the police in 2017 from central Kashmir’s Budgam taking along four rifles. He later joined the HM ranks.