Srinagar , Oct 27 ( KINS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday began raids at the premises of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) members at separate places in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in an alleged terror funding case filed in February this year. It earlier raided over 60 premises on August 8 and 9 in the case. The agency has since been questioning JeI members.
After the raids in August, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti accused the government of “waging a war” on J&K. She called NIA raids targeting JeI members a “self-goal”. Mufti said that an ideology can be fought with a better idea rather than crushing it.
The agency has said various incriminating documents and electronic devices have been seized from the premises of the suspects.
In February 2019, after the attack that left 40 Central Reserve Police Force troops dead in Pulwama, the Centre banned the JeI, a socio-political group, in J&K for five years, saying it was “in close touch” with militant outfits and was expected to “escalate secessionist movement” in the state.
The NIA registered a case against the organisation on February 5, 2021, in pursuance of an order from the Union home ministry relating to “separatist and secessionist activities of JeI, an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act even after its proscription on February 28, 2019.
“The members of the organisation have been collecting funds domestically and abroad through donations particularly in the form of Zakat, Mowda and Bait-ul-Mal purportedly to further charity and other welfare activities but these funds are instead being used for violent and secessionist activities,” the NIA said in a statement in August.
“The funds raised by JeI are also being channelised to proscribed terrorist organisations such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and others through well organised networks of JeI cadres.” The NIA claimed the JeI has also been motivating “impressionable youth of Kashmir and recruiting new members in J&K to participate in disruptive secessionist activities.” ( KINS)
