30 years after: Malik, 6 others charged for IAF officers murder

A court on Monday charged Yasin Malik, chief of banned terror outfit Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and six others involved in the killing of four unarmed Indian Air Force officers in Kashmir in 1990.

The charges were framed under section 302, 307 RPC, section3 (3) and section 4(1) of TADA Act, 1987 and section 7/27 of Arms Act 1959 , section 120-B of RPC.

Malik and his aide Showkat Bakshi lodged in Tihar and Ambedkar Nagar jails respectively appeared via video-conferencing, sources said.

All the accused pleaded not guilty and sought trial. The case will be listed on March 30, sources said.

On Saturday, the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) court had said that there was enough prima-facie evidence for prosecuting Malik for involvement in the killing of the IAF officials.

Special NIA judge Subhash Gupta had said the court was of a certain view that sufficient grounds exist for drawing presumption that the accused Yasin Malik, Ali Mohammad Mir, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi alias Mustafa, Javed Ahmed Mir alias Malka, Nana Ji alias Saleem, Javed Ahmed Zarger and Shoukat Ahmed Bakshi, prima facie have committed acts of terror.

Malik and his aides have been charged with attempt to murder, murder, criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of arms and acts of terror, under several sections of TADA and Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), the erstwhile state of J&K's own law.

The JKLF chief Malik is also accused of kidnapping Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the then union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and sister of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, for the release of five JKLF terrorists.

The charges were framed against each of the accused separately. IANS