Who is Davinder Singh, the J&K Cop Caught with Hizbul Militants?

From Afzal Guru to custodial torture, the police officer’s past has had more than its share of controversy.

Who is Davinder Singh? And, as the police claim, why was he travelling with militants?

(Image: Altered by The Quint)

On Saturday, 11 January, a private vehicle carrying four people was stopped on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway, as it passed South Kashmir’s Kulgam, police said.

In a press conference, the Kashmir police said that this particular vehicle was driving from Shopian to Jammu and upon being stopped at a barricade, they discovered four men inside. Two militants - Naveed Mushtaq, aka Naveed Babu, a former cop turned militant who was reportedly second in line to lead the Hizbul Mujahideen, and Rafi Ahmed Rather, another militant for Hizbul.

The third man is Irfan Shafi, a former lawyer and an overground worker for a militant group. And the last man is the deputy superintendent of police at Srinagar Airport and a decorated police officer who was awarded the President’s medal for Gallantry, Davinder Singh.

A week before this, Singh was part of the special team that welcomed 15 foreign envoys to India.

So, who is Davinder Singh? And, as the police claim, WHY was he travelling with militants?

Guests: Ahmed Ali Fayyaz, Senior Journalist, Jammu and Kashmir, and Siddharth Gautam, former investigative journalist with CNN IBN.