Srinagar, Nov 17, KDC: Hours after a dry fruit seller from Qazigund “succumbed to burn injuries” following an alleged self-immolation attempt, his son who had been detained for questioning in the “white-collar terror module” case was on Monday arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Red Fort car bomb blast.
The agency, as per Kashmir Dot Com, said it had arrested Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, a resident of Qazigund in Anantnag district, from Srinagar. Jasir is the son of Bilal Ahmad Wani, a dry fruit seller who had “set himself on fire” on Sunday after allegedly being denied repeated permission to meet his detained son and brother. Bilal was shifted from Anantnag Hospital to SMHS Hospital late Sunday night, where he “died of severe burn injuries” around half past midnight.
According to the NIA, the arrest was made by an NIA team camping in the Valley as part of investigations into case RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI.
The NIA said Jasir had allegedly provided “technical support” to the terror network by “modifying drones” and “attempting to make rockets” ahead of the November 10 Red Fort car bomb blast, which killed 10 persons and left 32 injured. He was described as an “active co-conspirator” who worked closely with Umar un Nabi, the alleged “suicide operative” who drove the explosive-laden vehicle.
The NIA added that Jasir, also a Kashmiri resident, was a crucial link in the operational chain that helped execute the attack, and had travelled across locations to coordinate technical preparations for the explosion.
The accused’s family are neighbours of Dr Muzaffar Rather, whom investigators describe as a key figure in the “white-collar terror module” spread across Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Muzaffar is believed to be in Afghanistan, while his brother Dr Adeel Rather was arrested from Saharanpur on November 6.
Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti earlier condemned the circumstances surrounding Bilal’s immolation, calling it a result of “despair and anguish” triggered by alleged “high-handedness” after he was not allowed to meet his detained family members.
The NIA said it is exploring “multiple angles” to unravel the larger conspiracy behind the bombing. Several teams of the anti-terror agency are pursuing fresh leads and conducting searches across multiple states to identify every individual involved in the attack. (KDC)
