NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj, to the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) custody for 10 days in an alleged NGO terror-funding case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The freelance journalist, who has contributed to various national and international news organizations, was arrested by NIA on Monday from Srinagar, and produced before a special NIA judge at Delhi’s Patiala House court. In order to interrogate him in a 2020 case, the agency sought 12 days of custody of the journalist.
According to an NIA spokesman, Mehraj’s arrest was following comprehensive investigations into the NGO Terror funding case registered in October 2020. “Irfan was a close associate of detained Khurram Parvez and was working with his organization, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS).
Investigation revealed that the JKCCS was funding terror activities in the valley and had also been in the propagation of a secessionist agenda in the Valley under the garb of protection of human rights,” he said. Khurram Parvez, human rights activist and chairman of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances and coordinator of JKCCS was arrested by NIA in November 2021.
“The involvement of some Valley-based NGOs, Trusts and Societies in the terror-funding related activities are being probed in this case. Some NGOs, both registered as well as unregistered, have come to notice collecting funds domestically and abroad under the cover of doing charity and various welfare activities, including Public Health, Education etc. But some of these organisations have developed links with proscribed terrorist organizations, such as LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen,” the NIA spokesman said.
