Table of Contents
The news
- On 11th January 2020, a Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Davinder Singh was arrested along with top Hizbul Mujahideen commanders in Kulgam, J&K
- They were stopped at a checkpoint on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
What was he up to?
- The DSP was ferrying 3 persons in a private vehicle (two of these were terrorists) who were being allegedly taken out of Kashmir valley for a possible terror strike.
- Syed Naveed Mushtaq (policeman-turned-militant)
- Altaf
- Rafi Rather
- Irfan Dar – a lawyer and an over ground worker for Hizb
- Police recovered 2 AK47 and grenades from the car
Why is this arrest so shocking?
- DSP Davinder Singh (57 years of age) has had an illustrious career of 30 years with Jammu and Kashmir Police .
- He joined as a sub inspector in 1990 .
- Later promoted to Inspector and subsequently DySP rank.
- 10-year stint in the Special Operations Group (SOG) in the 1990s
- He was posted all across Kashmir on counter-insurgency duty.
- Part of UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in 2003
- He has been involved in investigations of many high profile cases.
- There were charges of custodial deaths under his command in STF/SOG.
- He was currently posted with the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s anti-hijacking unit at Srinagar airport.
- He was awarded the President’s medal for gallantry last year.
- He was in line for a promotion as superintendent of police (SP).
Another security breach
- Davinder Singh had been living in a rented house since the past five years.
- The police also recovered arms and ammunition from the house.
- He had been building a lavish mansion in Indira Nagar — which is considered to be the most secure zone in Srinagar.
- His house shared a wall with the headquarters of the 15 Corps in Badami Bagh cantonment.
- He had sheltered three terrorists at his residence before leaving for Jammu.
Why help terrorists?
Possible reasons
- Either he was getting large amounts of regular money from his handlers(ISI?)
- His relationship with the militants was so old and good that he was carrying out the ferrying service for small amounts of money
- Ideological reasons
- Wrong place wrong time
The Afzal Guru link
- In 2004, Afzal Guru wrote a letter to his lawyer from Tihar jail.
- He wrote – “DSP Davinder Singh”, had earlier tortured him in Humhama camp and later when he was posted with J&K Police’s Special Operations Group, had asked him(Afzal) to “take Mohammad* to Delhi, rent a flat for his stay and purchase a car for him”.
- *Mohammad was a Pakistani national later identified as one of those who carried out the Parliament attack,
- Singh’s name had cropped up during the 2001 Parliament attack case investigation.
- But he was not accused of any wrongdoing by the investigators then.
- Afzal was convicted and hanged on February 9, 2013.
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