Jammu and Kashmir government today said the police was looking into the revelations made by three arrested youths from Hyderabad that they were planning to meet separatist leader Asiya Andrabi and join jihadi terror groups.
"We are in touch with the Telangana police. All the agencies are investigating. It is a serious case so we are on the job," Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh told reporters here.
Singh was asked for comments on the revelations made by the three youths who were arrested on December 27 following their detention by police last week from the Nagpur airport before they were to leave for Srinagar.
A senior officer of the special investigation team of police in Hyderabad yesterday said that the youths, identified as Mohd Abdulla Basith, Maaz Hasan Farooq and Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini, had no direct connection with Andrabi, nor did she know them.
After reaching Srinagar the youths, all aged between 20-22 years, wanted to meet her using the name of their late uncle, former chief of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) Syed Salahuddin, and seek her help to cross the border and reach Jalalabad in Afghanistan, the official had revealed.
Andrabi is a leader of the separatist Kashmiri women's group, Dukhtaran-e-Millat.
Further speaking, Singh said "I have reports that there was some communication when one of the relatives of the boys who was killed in an accident... Who was a SIMI activist...
"Asiya had sent condolences to them. It has not been so far established whether or not they were in communication," he said.
Stating that the matter is under probe, he said, "I think it is not proper to say more unless we pick up some more threads, but we are on the job. We are taking it seriously."
Asked about the communication between the arrested boys and Andrabi, Singh said that she had sent her condolences at that time. "I think it happened last year, but in between, whether they had some communication with her is a matter of investigation," he added.
"Definitely, they were coming to Srinagar to meet her because they were knowing her name and all that. All these things have to be established," Singh said.
"Definitely, the government and police will verify these facts. There is every apprehension of such a thing. If it is proved, then the government will act as per law," Singh said.
Meanwhile, BJP legislators today demanded that the
separatist leader be slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA) and sent to jail on charges of sedition,
"Andrabi should be arrested and send to jail after slapping PSA for her continued anti-Indian activities", BJP MLA from Nowshera, Ravinder Raina, told reporters.
He alleged that separatist leaders including Andrabi were involved in activities against the democracy and engineering terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
"There is a need to probe against them whether they are involved in promoting ISIS in the state," he said.
"I have taken up the matter with the government. I have talked to Deputy Chief Minister... Government will take tough action against them... They will not be allowed to go scot-free," he added.
Hitting out at separatists, BJP MLC and Kashmiri Pandit leader Surinder Ambardar alleged that Andrabi is a mole of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence in J&K.
"There should be a full investigation into it. It is of very serious nature, stern action should be taken against her if she has any role in this context. She should be immediately imprisoned," he said.
