Ending a three-decade-long chase, the State investigation agency of J&K Police Tuesday claimed to have arrested two absconding Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists involved in the assassination of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq at his Nageen residence on May 21, 1990.

According to police, one of the arrested terrorists identified as Zahoor Ahmed Bhat of Batmaloo had pulled the trigger on Mirwaiz inside his bedroom. The head priest was killed by terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen which accused him of being a “peacenik” and an “Indian agent”.

Addressing a press conference at the police control room (PCR) in Srinagar, Special Director General of Police (CID) RR Swain said two accused involved in the killing of Mirwaiz — Javaid Bhat and Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, both residents of Srinagar — have been arrested by the State Investigating Agency (SIA). The special DG, however, maintained a discreet silence about their whereabouts and from where they were arrested.

Briefing the media, the Special DG said the duo were evading arrest as they were hiding in Pakistan and Nepal among other places before surreptitiously returning back to Kashmir a few years ago.

They were maintaining a low profile, changing addresses and shifting residences, they avoided the gaze of law enforcement agencies, he added.

Now both have been arrested and handed over to the CBI as proclaimed offenders,” the police officer said.

“They are now liable to immediately face trial in a designated TADA court in Delhi which has already completed the trial in respect of one of the five accused namely Ayub Dar code Ishfaq, son of Late Abdul Ahad Dar of Rawalpora of Srinagar, who has been convicted and serving a life sentence. Two other absconding accused terrorists found guilty in the killing of Mirwaiz, Abdullah Bangroo and Abdul Rehman Shigan, got killed in encounters with the security forces in the 1990s”, the Special DG said during the press conference.

Sharing further details RR Swain said that on May 21, 1990, a case regarding the killing of Mirwaiz was lodged in police station Nageen under FIR 61/1990.

“Then the case was transferred to the CBI. The CBI had presented a charge-sheet against the one accused after arresting him before the TADA court after which the court awarded life imprisonment to him,” he said.

The special DG CID said that investigations into the case revealed that Hizb commander Abdullah Bangroo had hatched a conspiracy to kill Mirwaiz.

According to a written statement issued by the J&k police, “Before killing Mirwaiz, all the five HM terrorists had gone to Pakistan for terrorist training in 1990. Back in Srinagar, Abdullah Bangroo received instructions in April 1990 from his ISI handler in Pakistan to eliminate Mirwaiz.

The police spokesman said, “On May 21, 1990 as per the plan, they all reached the gate of Mirwaiz Manzil and met Maqbool Shah, the gate-keeper, and informed him that they wanted to meet Mirwaiz. Maqbool Shah then asked Gulam Qadir Sofi, the gardener, to take them to the personal assistant of Mirwaiz as he himself was going to the market”.

“Accordingly, the gardener Sofi took the three to the personal assistant Saidur Rehman who asked them about their names, and one of them disclosed his fake name as Gulzar Farooq, R/o. Batmaloo. That name was written by the personal assistant on a slip of paper and the said slip was sent inside the room of Mirwaiz through the gardener Sofi. After sometime, Mirwaiz called the three accused inside the office, on which Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal entered the room of Mirwaiz and the remaining two accused persons, including Javed Bhat, took position in the PA’s room”, the police statement quoting excerpts of the Apex court order said.

“On entering the room of Mirwaiz, Zahoor Ahmed alias Bilal fired several rounds on Mirwaiz from his pistol and immediately accused Inayat also fired from his pistol in the air while coming out of PA’s room, which hit the outside wall of the office. On hearing the sound of firing, the gardener came inside the office and tried to catch hold of Ishfaq, who was trying to escape.

“However, all the accused persons escaped giving a push to the gardener Sofi. Another accused Bilal also tried to run away, but he was caught by Sofi. There was a scuffle between the two, in which Bilal sustained an injury below his right eye. Later, after firing one round from his pistol, Bilal also managed to escape. The accused persons ran towards Kashmir University, and were followed by Sofi up to the main road, and near the university gate, the assailants ran towards Soura through the university compound and reached Chatargam in the afternoon of 21.05.1990. They then reported the killing of Mirwaiz to Abdulla Bangroo alias Ajmal Khan. All the three accused persons were directed by Bangroo to go underground for sometime”.

“During trial running for several years, it could be established that the terrorist who pulled the trigger on Mirwaiz on the fateful day on the directions of then HM commander Bangroo was Zahoor Bhat who ironically succeeded in evading arrest by going into hiding