Suspended J&K Cop Davinder Singh’s Custody Extended Till 3 April

Singh was arrested while ferrying two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway earlier this year.

Davinder Singh has served the Jammu and Kashmir Police as inspector and deputy superintendent for over 25 years.

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Jammu and Kashmir police officer Davinder Singh, who was arrested while ferrying two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists in a vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway earlier this year, has been sent to further custodial interrogation by a Delhi court till 3 April.

Special Judge Ajay Kumar Jain extended Singh’s custody after Delhi Police said that he was required to be confronted with other accused Javed Iqbal, Syed Naveed Mushtaq and Imran Shafi Mir, arrested in the case.

Police custody is granted for further interrogation and identification of other accomplices and confrontation with other co-accused, the judge said. The court also directed the police to conduct his medical examination after every 48 hours.

The police sought Singh’s extended custody, saying that the confrontation and further interrogation is required to unearth the larger conspiracy and role of the accused, to trace the details of financial transaction and to verify and trace other offenders.

The police also told the court that the custody was required to establish the identity of main handler, defence advocate Prashant Prakash said.

Davinder Singh was suspended from the Jammu and Kashmir Police in January this year. The Special Cell had brought the former DSP to Delhi from Hira Nagar Jail in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the court had sent Syed Naveed Mushtaq and others to police custody till 3 April after the police said that he and other co-accused were planning to execute terror attacks in Delhi and other parts of the country and targeted killings of protected persons.

While seeking Mushtaq’s custody, police had alleged that the accused was commander of Shopian district of Hizb-ul-Mujahiddeen through his handler based in Pakistan.

The police said the accused used to chat with other co-accused and militants through various internet platforms, including darknet chat.

Delhi Police has filed an FIR under Section 120B of IPC. The FIR said that the youths of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab are being trained for carrying out terrorist activities.

The FIR also had a mention of D Company and Chhota Shakeel. According to the FIR, the Delhi Police Special Cell had received an input that the D Company is funding pro-Khalistan terrorist organisations in Punjab.

Under this very FIR Davinder Singh was taken into custody. The Special Cell had also interrogated Davinder Singh regarding the Khalistan angle, police said.

Although Davinder Singh is not named in the FIR, but the Special Cell has some inputs on the basis of which the enquiry will be done carried out and Davinder Singh will be questioned.

(The article has been published in arrangement with PTI)