2 BJP leaders, their PSOs arrested for faking militant attack in Kashmir

Srinagar: Two BJP leaders and their Personal Security Officers (PSOs) have been arrested for allegedly faking a militant attack to get more security cover in north Kashmir district of Kupwara last week, official sources said on Tuesday.

They said Ishfaq Ahmed Mir, who is the son of BJP Kupwara president Mohammad Shafi, and the saffron party’s spokesperson in Kupwara Basharat Ahmad, were arrested on Monday. “Ishfaq’s two PSOs were also arrested for colluding with him and Basharat,” they said.

They said on July 16, the BJP leaders in collusion with two PSOs faked a militant attack in Kupwara to get enhanced security cover. Ishfaq sustained a bullet injury to his arm and was treated in a local hospital.

However, police immediately rejected that there was a militant attack, claiming that the service rifle of one of the two PSOs went off accidently, resulting in injuries to Ishfaq.

Sources said after questioning, the accused confessed that they had faked the attack. “Following the confession, the accused were arrested and produced before a local court in Kupwara on Monday,” they said.

They said the accused have been remanded to seven days' police custody.

Meanwhile, the BJP has suspended Ishfaq’s father from the post of the district president and ordered an internal inquiry headed by the saffron party’s Kashmir spokesperson G M Mir. (UNI)