1991 Jammu railway station blast accused arrested after 35 years

After evading police for 35 years, a terrorist responsible for the 1991 Jammu railway station bomb blast was arrested in Anantnag district, police said on Thursday, August 13.

Police said accused Altaf Hussain Sheikh was brought before the TADA Court, and further legal proceedings will be initiated.

They said Sheikh had concealed his identity and been living as a businessman.

According to the police, Sheikh, along with three other accomplices, carried out the bombing at platform number 1, killing three people, including two paramilitary personnel, and injuring 18 civilians.

While one operative, Aman Ullah Khan, was arrested on the day of the blast, the other three went into hiding.

On Thursday, the Jammu Railway Police traced Sheikh to Anantnag and arrested him.

"Railway (GRP) Police Jammu arrests an absconding terrorist booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act. Altaf Hussain Sheikh, son of Nazir Ahmed Sheikh, resident of Marhama-Bijbehara, Anantnag, after a long chase of 35 years, initially went underground and was living with a concealed identity for several decades," police said in a statement.

"During the investigation, one accused, Aman Ullah Khan, was arrested, while three other accused persons escaped and could not be arrested at that time and were declared absconders by the concerned court," the police said.

Police said that the Railway police intensified their manhunt over the past two years, eventually finding him disguised as a successful businessman in the Bijbehara area.

“ In the last two years, the railway police, Jammu, launched an intensive manhunt and identified the accused Altaf Hussain Sheikh, verified his identity by minutely going into details of his identity and residential particulars and discovered him living under a concealed identity, establishing himself as a successful businessman in the Bijbehara area,” it said.

"Long pursuit by the police team brought results, and the accused responsible for the death of innocent persons was arrested and produced before the TADA Court on 13th August 2026 for further legal proceedings," the police said.