DSP Davinder Singh will be probed by counter-terror probe agency NIA

Davinder Singh, the Jammu and Kashmir police officer arrested last week for terror links, will be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the country’s lead counter-terror probe agency. The Home Ministry on Thursday asked the NIA to start investigations into Singh’s case to take a hard and close look at his involvement with terror groups, according to news agency ANI.

Davinder Singh was intercepted on Saturday when he was travelling on the national highway to Jammu along with three men. Singh was sitting in the front seat of the Hyundai i10 vehicle. Also in the car were Naveed Babu and Asif Ahmad, two men who have been described by the security establishment as Hizbul Mujahideen commanders, along with lawyer Rafi Ahmad.

Singh was arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, or UAPA, the anti-terror law.

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Politics around Davinder Singh

The arrest of a counter-terror police officer has set off a war of words between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party after Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called for a thorough probe into his activities in the past.

The question will now arise who were the real culprits behind the last year Pulwama attack, Chowdhury said on Wednesday, a reference to the bombing of a CRPF convoy that killed 40 troopers. India had blamed Pakistan-supported terrorists for the bombing and carried out retaliatory air strikes at terror camps in Balakot across the border.

Other Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi have also tweeted their attacks aimed at the government over Singh’s alleged association with terrorists.

Named by the Parliament terror attack

Already, Singh’s arrest for terror links had put the spotlight on an allegation made by Afzal Guru, one of the co-conspirators for the 2001 Parliament attack. Afzal Guru had told his lawyer in a letter that Davinder Singh had asked him to accompany co-accused Mohammed to Delhi and organise his stay.

Guru was hanged in 2013 for waging of war against the state, murder and criminal conspiracy; conspiring and knowingly facilitating terrorist acts and harbouring and concealing terrorists.

Questions have been raised about the impact on Azfal Guru’s trial if Davinder Singh’s alleged terror ties had been unearthed earlier.

Justice (retd) SN Dhingra, who awarded the death sentence to Guru back in 2002, this week told HT that the link, even if it was proven at that time, would not have made a difference to the outcome in Afzal Guru’s case.

Azfal link will be probed

Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh told reporters that investigators will probe whether there were any criminal links between the arrested police officer and 2001 Parliament attack convict, Afzal Guru, according to news agency ANI.

Singh said since Davinder Singh had been accused of being in nexus with the terrorists, his role in the Parliament attack conspiracy would also be thoroughly probed.

Stripped of his gallantry medal

Jammu and Kashmir administration has already “forfeited” the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to Davinder Singh over charges that he helped terrorists move out of the union territory. An official order issued on Wednesday said the suspended officer’s act amounted to disloyalty and brought the force into disrepute.