SRINAGAR: After directions from Union Home Ministry, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday took up the investigation in recent militant attack on heavily fortified army camp at Nagrota in Jammu in which seven soldiers including two Major-rank officers and three militants were killed.
“In compliance with the instructions by Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the NIA Police Station at New Delhi, has re-registered the case under FIR 221/2016 registered at Nagrota Police Station in Jammu,” a spokesman of NIA said.
He said the NIA re-registered the case as RC-16/2016/NIA/DLI for offences under sections 120B, 121, 307 of the Ranbir Penal Code and sections 7, 27 of the Arms Act, 1958.
On November 29, a heavily armed group of militants stormed well fortified army camp at Nagrota in Jammu. The camp is located just 3 kms from army’s 16 Corps headquarters.
Seven soldiers including two Major-rank officers and three militants were killed in the day long encounter.
After the militant attack, Police Station Nagrota had registered a case stating that some heavily armed unknown militants on directions of their foreign handlers had stormed the Army Camp at Nagrota near the Baleeni Bridge.
The police station had registered the case under sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
J&K Director General of Police K Rajendra had told Express that police was probing whether Jaish-e-Mohammad militants were involved in the attack.
He had said that police was also probing the similarities between the Uri and Nagrota attacks to zero-in on the militant group.
Sources said a team of NIA officers will be visiting Jammu in next few days to start the investigation.
“The NIA team will visit the Nagrota army camp and talk to senior army officials stationed in the camp. The NIA sleuths will also talk to the officials and soldiers, who were part of the operation to flush out the militants from the camp,” they said.
According to sources, NIA team would also collect DNA samples of the three slain militants.
“The NIA team will also take possession of the weapons and goods recovered from the militants involved in the attack,” they said.
Sources said NIA team will also hold deliberations with the police officials, who were probing the attack.
NIA is also probing the September 18 militant attack on army base in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed and over two dozen injured. Four militants were also killed in the encounter.
The NIA probe into Uri attack had blamed Jaish-e-Mohammad for the deadly attack. The investigating agency had identified one of the slain militant as Hafeez Ahmed son of Feroz village Dharbang, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan administered Kashmir.
The NIA had made the revelation after questioning of an arrested JeM guide, who hailed from PaK.