HC advocate’s murder in 2020: SIA announces ₹10 lakh award for information

Chief investigation officer of SIA issued a notice regarding the award and said the identity of the informer will be kept confidential

State investigation agency (SIA) has announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh for providing information that could lead to arrest of the persons involved in the killing of senior high court lawyer Babar Qadri in 2020. Qadri was shot dead outside his house in the Hawal area of old city on September 24, 2020 by unknown gunmen.

Just hours before his death, Qadri in a Facebook live had said he had been receiving intimidating messages after he had written against the then bar association president Mian Qayoom over the body’s elections. (Getty Images/Collection Mix: Sub)

Chief investigation officer of SIA issued a notice regarding the award and said the identity of the informer will be kept confidential. The case is being investigated by SIA.

Last year, Jammu and Kashmir police had conducted searches at the residences of three advocates in Srinagar, including that of former J&K High Court Bar Association (JKHBA) president Mian Qayoom in relation to the murder case.

Just hours before his death, Qadri in a Facebook live had said he had been receiving intimidating messages after he had written against the then bar association president Mian Qayoom over the body’s elections. He feared for his life and had urged the police to register an FIR against a social media user who had accused Qadri of being “protected by agencies”.

At the time of the murder, police had formed a five-member special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case.

One year into his killing, police killed two militants of The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Abbas Sheikh, chief of TRF, and his deputy Saqib Manzoor, were killed in an encounter in Srinagar’s Aloochi Bagh.

Police had said that Saqib Manzoor was involved in the killing of the advocate. Five accused have since been chargesheeted in the case.