Pahalgam: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director General Sadanand Date on Thursday arrived at Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam as the agency began its probe into the matter.
Earlier on Sunday, the NIA took over the Pahalgam terror attack case from Jammu and Kashmir Police and began its investigation into the deadly attack that resulted in the killing of 26 tourists, sources told ANI.
The Central anti-terror agency formally registered a fresh FIR on late Saturday following an order issued from the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs considering the gravity of the case, as Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The NIA took over the case five days after the incident and four days after its team visited the attack site and started supporting the Jammu and Kashmir Police in probing what is considered the deadliest assault on civilians in the region in almost twenty years. Official sources privy to the development told ANI that “the NIA has formally taken over the case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and stated its investigation.”
The NIA team is expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the attack site, collect forensic evidence, and help in identifying those responsible for the carnage. The NIA’s move comes amid intelligence agencies compiling a list of 14 local terrorists actively operating in the Union Territory.
