NIA raids separatists including Mirwaiz in Kashmir in terror funding probe

The raids came days after the government withdrew the security cover of the separatist leaders following the Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy.

The NIA on Tuesday carried out searches on separatists in the Kashmir valley, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a terror funding case, officials said.

Policemen stand guard during a search at the houses of separatist leaders in Srinagar on Tuesday. (Waseem Andrabi.HT PHOTO)

Local police and CRPF personnel cordoned off the areas before NIA sleuths started the searches at several places in Srinagar.

Among those whose houses were searched are Nayeem Geelani, son of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, JKLF leader Yaseen Malik, Shabir Shah, Ashraf Sehrai and Zaffar Bhat.

Malik has been in detention since Friday while Shabir Shah is in Delhi’s Tihar jail since July 2017.

Tuesday’s raids came less than a week after the government withdrew the security cover of separatist leaders in Kashmir following the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus.

Over the weekend, the Centre also airlifted 100 companies of paramilitary forces for deployment in Kashmir amid a crackdown on separatists and militants.