NIA raids at GK, NGO, journalist houses in Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti reacts sharply

Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti reacted sharply to these raids.

However, it was not immediately clear why these raids were conducted as NIA officials refused to give any details.

Sources said NIA officials raided the office of an English Daily "Greater Kashmir (GK)" at Press Enclave, Partap Park near here this morning. Large number of CRPF and police personnel were deployed in the press enclave before the NIA sleuths raided the GK, housed in a government quarter.

Sources said the officials thoroughly checked the files and also took some documents with them. However, when the officials left the GK office they refused to give any details why the raid was conducted.

GK officials were questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other agencies in the past also in Delhi .

Sources told UNI that NIA also conducted raids at the office of a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) at NawaKadal in the downtown, a House Boat at Nehru Park, houses of two journalists and house of social activist Khuram Parvaiz at Sonwar.

The NIA also conducted raids at Bandipora in north Kashmir.

The NIA has been conducting raids in the Kashmir valley in connection with terror funding and arrest of former Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy SP) Devinder Singh along with top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants when he was taking them to Jammu in a vehicle in January 2020.

Meanwhile, taking to micro blogging site Twitter, Mehbooba reacting to raids said, "NIA raids on human rights activist Khurram Parvez & Greater Kashmir office in Srinagar is yet another example of GOIs vicious crackdown on freedom of expression & dissent. Sadly, NIA has become BJPs pet agency to intimidate & browbeat those who refuse to fall in line."