STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Police on Wednesday carried out raids at the residences of three lawyers, including former J&K High Court Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom, and seized digital devices, bank statements and other documents as part of the probe into the killing of an advocate two years ago.
“Srinagar police conducting searches at residence of Adv Mian Qayoom, Adv Manzoor Dar and Adv Muzzaffar Mohd in connection with further #investigation of #murder of Adv Babar Qadri, FIR No 62/2020 of PS Lal Bazar,” Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar said in a tweet.
A police spokesman said all legal formalities were followed during the searches at four locations — two in Barzulla, one each in Brein-Nishat and Maisuma — of three advocates in connection with advocate Babar Qadri killing case.
Digital devices, bank statements, property sale agreement papers, suspicious books and other relevant material were seized during the searches, the spokesman said.
A posse of policemen arrived at Qayoom’s Barzulla residence early in the morning to carry out the searches. Qayoom is father-in-law of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court judge Justice Javed Iqbal Wani.
Advocate Qadri was shot dead by terrorists inside his residence in the city’s Hawal area in September 2020.
Qadri, who was a vocal critic of the bar association leadership, particularly of Qayoom, had claimed threat to his life three days before he was shot dead.
According to police, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Saqib Manzoor, who was killed in an encounter last year, was responsible for Qadri’s killing. Police have filed charge sheet against five persons who are facing trial in the case.
The searches were conducted during further investigation in the case wherein certain new evidences came up that have the potential to unravel the conspiracy part in this killing, the spokesman added.
Pertinent to mention here, Qayoom had gone all out to weaponise his professional position as lawyer against the county in collusion with terror networks, intimidating and coercing people to toe a line against the country, in total disregard to established law and the constitution.
Mian Abdul Qayoom frequently visited the residences of killed terrorists and the encounter sites to express sympathy with the families of killed terrorists and incite violence against the Security Forces. While recording his statement as witness in contempt petition No.11/2010 against Superintendent Kot Bhalwal Jail and others in High Court Srinagar on April 07, 2010, Qayoom challenged the Indian constitution and said “I do not believe in the Constitution of India.” When asked by the Judge whether he wanted these words to form part of his statement, Qayoom said that he has been saying so in the past and that his words should be recorded. This is contrary to the fact that Qayoom earns his bread and butter by professing the legal profession the foundation of which is Constitution of India. The irony of the fact is that kiths and kins of Qayoom have sought higher constitutional posts under the very constitution he does not believe in.
