Suspected Hizbul militant Liyaqat remanded for 14 days

Suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militant Sayyed Liyaqat Shah, booked for waging war against the country by Delhi Police which claimed he was planning to carry out terror attacks in the national capital, was on Saturday remanded in 14 days judicial custody by a court in New Delhi.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Manoj Kumar sent 45-year-old Shah, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, to Tihar jail till April 12 after he was produced in the court before the expiry of his 15-day police remand.

Shah was being quizzed since March 21 by the special cell of Delhi police which had earlier secured his custody for 15 days. Police moved a plea saying that the accused be sent to jail as they do not need to quiz him anymore in their custody.

"The investigation has not been completed yet. The accused (Shah) is remanded to judicial custody till April 12," the CMM said.

The police in its application has submitted that Shah was apprehended on March 20 from the Indo-Nepal border area near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and during his interrogation he has revealed that he is a trained militant of banned terror group Hizbul Mujahideen and was settled in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The police also said that in January 2013, Shah and his associate Manzoor, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, were directed by top-ranks of Hizbul to carry out terrorist attacks in Delhi.

The agency also said that upon disclosure of the accused, a huge consignment of arms, hand-grenades, explosive material and other incriminating material was recovered from a guest house in Jama Masjid area in New Delhi.

It also said that his associates, including Manzoor are missing.

Delhi police said a case was registered under the sections 120B(criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against Government of India), 121A (conspiracy to commit offences against the State) and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of IPC.

Shah's arrest has generated conflicting versions from the Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir police.

While Delhi police has claimed that with Shah's arrest they had foiled a 'fidayeen' (suicide) attack in the capital ahead of Holi, its J-K counterpart insisted that he was one of those who had exfiltrated in 1990s and had returned to India to surrender under the state's rehabilitation policy.

The Delhi Police told the court they had information that some well trained and hard core militants have made elaborate plans in coordination with some Pakistani nationals to commit a terrorist attack at some undisclosed vital installation in Delhi.

"It was also informed that two-three terrorists have travelled from Jammu and Kashmir to set up a base in some hotel in Jama Masjid area, Delhi and the terrorists who have to execute the strikes may enter India through the Indo-Nepal border at Gorakhpur, UP or Tanakpur in Uttrakhand."

According to Delhi police, Shah had planned attacks to avenge the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Jammu and Kashmir Police, however, supported the claims of Liyaqat's family that he was a former militant who had surrendered before SSB on the Nepal border and was in a group returning from PoK under the rehabilitation policy.

The Home Ministry on March 28 issued a notification facilitating the National Investigation Agency to take over the case related to Shah.

The NIA will now conduct a probe into the circumstances leading to the arrest of Shah.