The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a 7,500-page charge sheet against 10 accused in the Red Fort car bomb blast case that killed 11 people, officials said on Thursday.
The high-intensity vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) blast that rocked the state capital on November 10 last year also left several injured and caused extensive damage to property.
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All 10 accused, including the main perpetrator, Dr. Umer Un Nabi (deceased), was linked to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), according to a chargesheet filed by the special NIA at Patiala House Courts here, a statement issued by the central agency said.
AQIS and all its manifestations were designated as terrorist organizations by the Ministry of Interior in June 2018.
The NIA, which uncovered a major “jihadi conspiracy” through detailed scientific and forensic investigations, found that the accused, some of whom were radicalized health workers, were inspired by the ideology of AQIS/AGuH to carry out the deadly attack, an official statement said.
The charge sheet was filed under the relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, 2023, the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, the Arms Act, 1959 and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
The charge against Pulwama-based Dr Nabi, a former assistant professor of medicine at Al-Falah University in Faridabad (Haryana), has been proposed to be reduced, the statement said.
Apart from Dr Nabi, Aamir Rashid Mir, Jasir Bilal Wani, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay, Soyab, Dr Bilal Naseer Malla and Yasir Ahmad Dar are named in the charge sheet, the probe agency said.
In a secret meeting in Srinagar in 2022, the accused reconstituted the AGuH terror unit as “AGuH Provisional” after a failed ‘Hijrat’ (migration) to Afghanistan via Turkiye, it said.
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Under the auspices of the newly formed unit, they launched “Operation Heavenly Hind” to overthrow the democratically constituted government of India and establish Sharia rule, according to a statement issued by the NIA.
The NIA investigation revealed that as part of this operation, the accused recruited new members, actively propagated the violent “jihadi” ideology of AGuH, stockpiled arms and ammunition and manufactured explosives on a large scale using commercially available chemicals.
The agency said it found that the accused were also manufacturing and testing different types of IEDs.
The explosive used in the blast was triacetone triperoxide (TATP), which the accused secretly manufactured after procuring basic ingredients and conducting experiments to perfect the explosive mixture, the counter-terrorism agency said.
The allegation is based on a large-scale investigation spread across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Delhi-NCR region.
It contains detailed evidence in the form of 588 oral testimonies, more than 395 documents and more than 200 seized physical exhibits, the statement said.
The NIA, which took over the case from the Delhi Police, established the identity of the deceased accused as Dr Umer Un Nabi through DNA fingerprinting, it said.
Evidence collected from the crime scene as well as from various locations identified by the accused in and around Al Falah University in Faridabad and Jammu and Kashmir were subjected to thorough forensic examination and voice analysis etc. as part of the investigation.
The NIA investigation further revealed that the accused was also involved in the illegal purchase of prohibited weapons including AK-47 rifle, Krinkov rifle and homemade live ammunition pistols.
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They experimented with missile- and drone-mounted IEDs to target security installations in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India, the NIA statement said.
During the investigation, it also came to light that the accused were procuring laboratory equipment, including specialized items like MMO anode, electrical circuits and switches, from various offline and online sources.
The accused also planned to expand their operations in other parts of the country, the statement said.
The indictment reveals a major “jihadi conspiracy” led by radicalized medical professionals to implement Sharia.
A total of 11 people have been arrested so far in the case in which the NIA is continuing its efforts to trace the fugitives whose role has surfaced during the investigation, she added.
