
Pahalgam attack: Terrorist harbourers remanded in 5-day NIA custody
JAMMU: A local court in Jammu on Monday granted the
National Investigation Agency
(NIA) a five-day remand of two men arrested for harbouring the
Pakistani terrorists
behind the Pahalgam massacre on April 22.
NIA had arrested the duo — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote, Pahalgam, and Bashir Ahmad Jothar from Hill Park, Pahalgam — on Sunday in the first major breakthrough in the investigations into the terror attack that left 26 dead and 16 injured.
Both were produced in the court of the Additional Sessions Judge, Jammu, who remanded them in NIA custody till June 27.
Before the attack, Parvaiz and Bashir had sheltered three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park. They also provided the terrorists with food and logistical support, facilitating them to execute the killings at Baisaran Valley by selectively targeting tourists based on their religious identity, NIA investigation has so far revealed.
NIA claimed that the arrested duo, during questioning, had disclosed the identities of the three terrorists involved in the attack, and confirmed that the trio was from Pakistan and was affiliated with the proscribed
Lashkar-e-Taiba
outfit.
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The Wire
13 minutes ago
- The Wire
What Happened After an Attack on the Darbhanga Deputy Mayor – and What It Says About India Today
Darbhanga (Bihar): On the evening of May 31, 2025, Darbhanga deputy mayor Nazia Hassan was attacked, allegedly by supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party, at the municipal complex of the town. It is not just the lead up to it that is interesting – Hassan had posted on Facebook against ideological extremism – but also what followed, which offers a picture into how violence against Muslims is a pattern in this country. Who is Hassan? Hassan, the vice-president of the Bihar Congress Minority Wing is a single mother of three. Hassan has been a primary school teacher and notably she performs the ritualistic bath given to deceased Muslim women, a service she continued even during COVID-19 and now. A social worker, she was vocal during anti-CAA protests. Her solo campaign for the deputy mayor's position won her over 34,000 votes (more than the mayor Anjum Ara) on a shoestring budget of around 60,000 and without counting agents. She is an active member of the predominantly Maithil Brahmin Mithila Vikas Sangh. The attack and its aftermath According to the first information report filed by Darbhanga Town police, based on Hassan's complaint, a mob of over a hundred, allegedly led by district BJP president Aditya Narayan Manna and district general secretary Balendu Jha, stormed the DMC complex at around 5 pm. Hassan alleged that the leaders verbally abused her. The alleged reason behind the attack was Hassan's Facebook post, which said: "We hate Pakistan as much as we hate the RSS because both have historically supported the two-nation theory." Hassan later presented to reporters messages containing explicit threats and calling her a traitor. Hassan stated that she had informed the administration – from the DM to the DSP to the SHO of the Darbhanga Town Police Station at Qilaghat – about the planned attack in advance. Her personal assistant, Devendra Kumar, who was injured, filed a police complaint as well. "My entire family is in shock at being called something like a 'traitor'," said Nazia Hassan. "We come from a military family—my brother is a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army. I used to watch politics fall to such levels, but now I am experiencing it myself." On June 3, another police complaint was submitted against Hassan by Soni Purbey, a BJP leader and co-accused in the May 31 violence. Purvey accused Hassan of inciting religious hatred, and alleged that she had Pakistani links and illegal foreign funding, demanding authorities check her smartphone. What happened then? Days after the May 31 attack, on June 7, a crowd gathered at the municipal complex, raising slogans against Hassan. The administration had denied permission for this protest in writing, citing Eid as a reason to maintain public order. It defused the gathering and detained some protesters. The Darbhanga Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vikas Kumar also told reporters that no force had been used. He added that several in the group had come with sticks to be lit for a torch rally. However, despite this official denial, reports of the use of force used against the protestors rapidly circulated, prompting senior BJP leaders and Hindutva outfits to visit workers reportedly admitted to DMCH emergency ward for minor injuries. BJP supporters began to frame the police action as "pro-Pakistani" and in support of the Deputy Mayor, while being "against nationalists and Hindus." This narrative gained rapid traction on local social media, with some posts targeting paramilitary and police personnel with abusive language. Institutional Betrayal and Personal Toll The Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Gupta and mayor Anjum Ara reportedly abandoned the premises on May 31, when the attacks were taking place. Hassan's emergency calls to DSP Amit Kumar during the siege reportedly went unanswered. Local police cited jurisdictional issues for not intervening, said Sarfaraz Anwar, district president of the Darbhanga minority cell. While the Municipal Commissioner reportedly filed a written complaint after two days, it is unclear what has come of it. Separate written complaints from the municipal commissioner and her personal assistant Devendra were rejected, with police citing overlap with Hassan's FIR. Eyewitnesses suggest uniformed personnel present during the violence did not act. The complete silence from mayor Ara, whose husband was also notably present at the scene as a bystander, raises further questions. Ara herself faced a brutal online attack and received threats that compelled her to issue an immediate apology on March 12, 2025. Her statement, made during a peace committee meeting ahead of Holi festivities, suggested a two-hour break between 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM on Holi day to allow for Friday prayers, given that the timing of 'Jumma Namaz' cannot be extended. She explicitly stated her intention was to maintain peace and ensure both festivals could be celebrated harmoniously. Her comments were widely amplified and distorted by pro-BJP media. Ara publicly stated, "From early in the morning, the people are calling me Bangladeshi and anti-national… My intention was for peace to be maintained in Darbhanga. But, if anyone's feelings were hurt, I apologize for that." Notably, Hassan had publicly taken Ara's side then. Hassan deleted her post and apologised. She was asked to, allegedly by figures within her own political circle, including Darbhanga District Congress President Dayanand Paswan, who cited it as "the only option to save her life." A Facebook post by a user named 'Gulshan Chaudhary', widely shared, including by Soni Purbey, an individual accused in the May 31 attack, makes several inflammatory claims: "It is being heard that the father of the girl with whom Yasin Bhatkal (founder of Indian Mujahideen) married in Darbhanga is related as the paternal cousin of Mohotarama (i.e., Nazia). It's no mere coincidence that whenever there is a terrorist attack in the country, its links connect to Darbhanga," the post says, originally in Hindi. Another Facebook user, 'Priyanshu Jha', claimed to be an active RSS member. "RSS is culture/values. Nazia, your statement regarding our parent organization shows your mental bankruptcy. My promise to you is that you and people with your mindset will not be able to sit peacefully in the corporation now," he wrote. One Vishal Mahaseth wrote, "She is working like a Pakistani for the same Yasin Bhatkal. I request the district administration that her mobile phone be thoroughly investigated. It's a question of the country/nation." The online discourse escalated. One 'Chaudhary Pankaj Rai' wrote, "That *** who couldn't understand the difference between wife, daughter, niece, maternal aunt, paternal aunt, now even that *** is comparing RSS to Pakistan." Bihar BJP minister revenue and land reforms, Sanjay Saraogi, an MLA from Darbhanga, also publicly threatened Hassan. In a statement made shortly after the May 31 attack, Saraogi declared:"You will have to change your mindset; if you don't, it will be changed for you. ' Dharmshila Gupta, Bihar BJP vice-president and a Rajya Sabha MP, meanwhile, publicly called for an inquiry into Hassan's 'alleged ISI links' and demanded that a case of sedition be registered against her for her Facebook post critiquing the RSS. Bihar deputy chief minister Vijay Sinha, in a social media post, also condemned the 'brutal' action of the police and assured the workers of the BJP of just action against the policemen. But what is more interesting is that in that same post he has also attached pictures of a document in which the SDP and DSP while replying to the 'Lok Shikayat Nivaran Pradhikaran' have stated that BJP workers misbehaved with the SDM and other policemen. A climate of fear Following the May 31 attack, the complete silence from the Congress party's district and state units has also been noteworthy. Left parties called for a protest on June 2, which all INDIA alliance partners then joined. On June 6, Congress leadership called Nazia Hassan to speak at the 'Sanvidhan Suraksha Sammelan' in Rajgir, attended by Rahul Gandhi, expressly to show party support. This high-profile endorsement again sparked outrage locally, leading regional BJP and RSS affiliates to come onto the roads again on June 7. The Darbhanga incident is symptomatic of an escalating national trend of demonising minorities, leading to real-world violence. India witnessed an 84% rise in communal violence in 2024, with 59 incidents including seven each in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Beyond the grassroots, a clear pattern of demonisation and political vendetta targets high-ranking individuals serving the nation. A stark example is the reaction to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a decorated Indian Army officer. In a viral video, Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah, a BJP leader, referred to Colonel Qureshi as "the sister of terrorists." This political targeting extends to opposition voices who challenge dominant right-wing narratives and even to public figures attempting to foster communal harmony. On March 26, 2025, the residence of Samajwadi Party (SP) Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman, a prominent Dalit leader, was attacked and vandalised in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, by members of the Karni Sena along with other right-wing groups. This brazen assault followed Suman's statement in the Rajya Sabha on March 21, 2025: "Indian Muslims do not consider Babar as their idol. They follow Prophet Muhammad and the Sufi tradition. But I want to ask, who brought Babar here? It was Rana Sanga who invited Babar to defeat Ibrahim Lodi. So, if Muslims are called the descendants of Babar, then Hindus must be the descendants of traitor Rana Sanga. We criticise Babar, but why don't we criticise Rana Sanga?" The attack on Hassan is an Indian issue, striking at our constitutional morality and the rule of law. The real anarchy is not solely the mob, but the alleged ideological capture of institutions and normalisation of violence.


News18
33 minutes ago
- News18
From Abbottabad Via Muzaffarabad: What Route Did Pahalgam Terrorists Take To Reach Attack Site?
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Hindustan Times
36 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
3 Punjabi youth rescued from traffickers in Iran return home, kin relieved
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