NIA chargesheets 6 Hurriyat leaders in 1996 case

On Friday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet in the NIA Special Court in Jammu against six senior leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. They are accused of being involved in mob violence and firing at police officers in Srinagar in 1996.

The chargesheet lists Shabir Ahmad Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ganie Lone, Mohd Yaqoob Wakeel (also called Mohd Yaqoob Vakil), Javid Ahmad Mir, and Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi. They are charged with criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, rioting, and assaulting public servants under the Ranbir Penal Code, 1989, and Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ganie Lone, and Mohd Yaqoob Wakeel have passed away. Charges against them have been dropped, but the NIA has still recorded their alleged roles in the incident.

The case is about events on July 17, 1996, when a large crowd, said to be led by Hurriyat leaders, carried the body of militant Hilal Ahmad Beigh from Parimpora to Eidgah in Srinagar for burial. At Naaz Crossing, police from Shergarhi station tried to control the procession, but violence broke out. The crowd reportedly threw stones, damaged property, blocked traffic, and shouted slogans like “Hindustan Murdabad.” Unidentified militants, said to include Hizbul Mujahideen members in the crowd, fired at the police with the intent to kill. Several security personnel were hurt.

The original FIR was filed at Shergarhi Police Station in Srinagar, and the NIA later took over the investigation. The agency claims that the separatist leaders planned and encouraged the mob, which led to the armed attack on the police.

The chargesheet describes the events and details each accused person’s role in provoking the crowd. The NIA has also used laws related to unlawful activities. Shabir Ahmad Shah was arrested in April 2026 in connection with this case and remains in custody. Other accused, like Javid Ahmad Mir and Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi, have also faced action as the investigation continues.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference was created in the early 1990s as a group of separatist political and religious organisations in Jammu and Kashmir. It has always opposed the region joining India’s constitutional system. Filing the chargesheet almost thirty years later shows the NIA’s ongoing effort to investigate and prosecute cases of past violence and separatist actions in Jammu and Kashmir.

The agency says the investigation is still underway and more legal steps may follow. This move brings new focus to the 1996 incident, as other old cases involving separatist leaders are also being looked at again. The NIA Special Court in Jammu will continue with the case based on the chargesheet filed on Friday.