By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Kochi: The Kashmir terror-link case should be probed by the National Investigation Agency, demanded the People’s Council for Civil Rights. The state Home Ministry deals with the case without any seriousness. The alleged Lashkar e Taiba activists from Kashmir, who are witnesses for the prosecution, should be prosecuted and convicted, demanded Adv PA Asafali, president of the PCCR in a press conference in Kannur.
The activists of the banned Lashkar e Taiba and Al Badr are, reportedly, witnesses (and not convicts) in the case registered by the police and on trial in a court in Kannur. The accused in the case are charged with cases like recruiting young men to Kashmir to fight against the country and joining organisations like the Lashkar e Taiba. There are 23 accused in the case.
Three Kashmiris who admitted themselves as LeT activists are, reportedly, the witnesses for the prosecution against the accused. They are reported to have informed the police that four of the accused, who were with them, were killed in encounter with the army in Kashmir. Still these men are only witnesses in the case.
Adv Asafali maintained that they could be made accused in the case due to their own words of admission. It is not yet clear if these people are in the custody of the police. The investigating officers have not given a clear idea on this. The case should be tried in a special court, including the terrorists left out by the Kerala police, said Adv Asafali. He added that they would appeal to the High Court if the case is not transferred from the local police.
Adv PM Mohanan and Adv Shuhaib, directors of the PCCR, also attended the press conference.
Four Keralites were reportedly killed and another one injured in encounters with the army in Kashmir in October 2008. An enquiry into the matter resulted in registering a case against 23 people under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The primary trial of seven accused was postponed on July 24 to August 18 since the public prosecutor PV Hari asked for more time to study the case. The bail applications submitted by seven accused were rejected by the court on July 29. The case is tried in the Thalasseri Additional District Sessions Court in Kannur.