Some Hurriyat leaders were hand in glove with consultancies for selling Pakistan-based MBBS seats: CIK

Srinagar: The Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) wing of the J&K Police on Wednesday arrested six persons including separatist leader Zafar Akbar Bhat and a woman from Baramulla in a case registered in July last year in connection with the alleged racket of selling Pakistan-based MBBS seats and of other professional courses by Hurriyat leaders and using part of the money generated for militancy.

In a statement, the CIK identified the arrested persons as Mohammad Akbar Bhat alias Zaffar Bhat, Chairman Salvation Movement, resident of Usmania Colony Baghi-Mehtab in Srinagar; Fatima Shah, wife of Nisar Ahmad Shah of Palhalan, Pattan in Baramulla, at present 172, Nundreshi Colony near Sham Lal Pump, Bemina in Srinagar; Mohammad Abdullah Shah, of Kulpora Salkoot in Kupwara; Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Nowgam, Shangus in Anantnag; Altaf Ahmad Bhat, of Shakarpora Bagh-i-Mehtab in Srinagar, presently in Baheria town of Karachi in Pakistan and brother of accused Zafar Akbar Bhat; and Manzoor Ahmad Shah, of Kulpora Salkote in Kupwara, at present Gulmohar Colony, near High Court Rawalpindi in Pakistan and brother of accused Mohammad Abdullah Shah.

“Two more accused persons against whom “there is ample evidence are evading arrest and both of them will be arrested soon,” the CIK said.

It further said that there are two accused individuals involved in the instant case FIR, who ex-filtrated to Pakistan during early 1990s for illegal arms and ammunition training and have settled down on the other side and “played a key role on behalf of ISI in facilitating matter pertaining to admissions under this category for this set of Hurriyat linked persons on Indian side” and were “part of nefarious design of pumping money into the militancy and other terrorist related activities”.

The CIK said that Police Station CIK in Srinagar had information through reliable sources “that several unscrupulous persons including some Hurriyat leaders were hand in glove with some educational consultancies and are selling Pakistan-based MBBS seats and seats in other professional courses in various colleges and universities”.

The information on the basis of which criminal investigations had been started into the case registered last year “also suggested that the money collected from the parents of the aspiring or potential students was used, at least partly, to support and fund terrorism and separatism in different ways,” the CIK said.

“During investigation it surfaced that MBBS and other professional degree related seats in many cases were preferentially given to those students who were close family members or relatives of killed militants. There were also cases where the quota allotted to individual Hurriyat leaders were sold to anxious parents desiring to obtain MBBS and other professional degrees in one way or the other,” the CIK said.

Police said that more than 80 cases pertaining to the seats in academic years between 2014-18 were studied in which either the students or their parents were examined.

Besides, searches of about a dozen premises in the valley had been undertaken to look for evidence of collection of money and its further usage, CIK said.

“Analysis of digital records and paper receipts as well as records pertaining to bank transactions revealed that a sizeable portion of the collected money was kept aside for personal use. Evidence also came on record to show that money had been variously put into channels that ended up in supporting programmes and projects pertaining to terrorism and separatism. For example, payment for organising stone pelting also could also be traced and brought on record,” it said.

Police said that investigation has revealed that on an average the cost of a seat ranged between 10 to 12 lakhs.

“In some cases, the price was brought down on Sifarish of Hurriyat leaders. In other words, depending upon the political heft of a Hurriyat leader who intervened, concessions were extended to the aspiring student and his family,” the CIK added.

Reader correspondent