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NIA arrests Dehradun arms dealer for supplying ammunition to Khalistani network

Parikshit Negi was out on bail as the NIA arrested him again.

PR Singh | Dehradun | September 27, 2023 11:08 pm

NIA arrests Dehradun arms dealer for supplying ammunition to Khalistani network

The NIA on Wednesday arrested an arms dealer in Dehradun for allegedly supplying ammunition to the Khalistani network. India’s apex probe agency raided two premises respectively in Udhamsingh Nagar and Dehradun districts of Uttarakhand as a part of its ongoing crackdown against Khalistani network in the country.

Top sources in the state’s Home Department informed that NIA raided the two premises on learning that Khalistani network got a part of its ammunition supplies from here. The arrested man has been identified as arms dealer Parikshit Negi and he was picked from his home at Turner Road in Clement Town area of Dehradun.

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Prior to his arrest, NIA sleuths raided his arms showroom ‘Royal Gun House’ near the Municipal Corporation campus and confiscated several sensitive and incriminating documents. As per the sources, NIA had learnt that Negi allegedly supplied bullets to Khalistan Liberation Front network in Amritsar and other locations.

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Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh confirmed the NIA raid and said, “We are aware that the NIA raid was conducted at the premises of Parikshit Negi who was arrested by the state police two year ago as well.” “NIA conducts its raids with the help of the state police and is kept as a top secret. It is difficult to say anything about the outcome of the raid,” said Singh.

The NIA carried out its second raid at the residence of Asim at Dhansara village of Bazpur block in Udhamsingh Nagar district. “Asim was released from the jail four months ago after completing his sentence for alleged nexus with Khalistan supporters and main accused in 2016 Nabha Jail break case in Punjab. The NIA raid was conducted in the morning keeping all inputs top secret. He was staying here after release from jail and the NIA had strong inputs as to his activities leading to the raid,” said Udhamsingh Nagar SSP Manjunath TC.

It is significant that nearly two years back Uttarakhand Police, Crime Branch had arrested Negi for his alleged association with five persons who were caught with a large cache of cartridges. Prior to that, the Crime Branch probe revealed that the arrested five persons had bought cartridges from a gun dealer in Dehradun. This led to a raid by Dehradun Police at Royal Gun House.

It was found in the raid that cartridges were supplied illegally to the arrested five men from Negi’s showroom. During the raid, the police also came to know that the showroom was not opened for the past several months resulting in the cancellation of the arms licence of the Royal Gun House by the district administration. Negi was out on bail as the NIA arrested him again.

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The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.