NIA Court Delivers Verdict in High-Profile UAPA Case
A special court handling National Investigation Agency matters in Delhi has delivered a significant verdict. The court convicted woman separatist leader Asiya Andrabi along with two of her associates. This conviction comes under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Background of the Case and Arrest
Andrabi serves as the chief of the banned Kashmiri organization Dukhtaran-e-Millat. Authorities arrested her back in 2018. The arrest followed allegations that she used multiple platforms to spread what officials described as insurrectionary statements and hateful speeches.
These speeches allegedly endangered India's integrity, security, and sovereignty. Her associates, identified as Nahida Nasreen and Fahmeeda Sofi, faced arrest alongside her in July 2018. Central agency officials took them into custody from a Srinagar jail where they were already lodged in a separate case filed by Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Formal Charges and Legal Proceedings
The NIA registered a formal case against Andrabi and her associates in April 2018. The agency leveled serious charges against them. These included being part of a banned organization, waging war against the state, sedition, and criminal conspiracy.
In February 2021, the court formally framed these terrorism and sedition charges against Andrabi and her two associates. This set the stage for the trial that has now concluded with convictions.
Historical Context and Significance
This conviction marks Andrabi as the second prominent separatist leader to be convicted by an NIA court. She follows Yasin Malik, who faced conviction earlier. Both convictions occurred after the historic abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status in 2019.
The central government officially declared Dukhtaran-e-Millat a terrorist organization in 2018 and imposed a ban on its activities. Following Andrabi's arrest, the NIA took the unprecedented step of attaching her Srinagar house in July 2019. This action represented the first time the central agency took such measures against a separatist leader.
Profile of Asiya Andrabi
The sixty-two-year-old Andrabi founded Dukhtaran-e-Millat, which originally began as a women's organization focused on social reformation. Born in 1963, she completed her bachelor's degree in Srinagar. She initially wanted to pursue post-graduation in Darjeeling but her parents did not permit this move.
Andrabi then turned to reading Islamic literature, which she says changed her outlook fundamentally. She joined the women's wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, a socio-political party that the Centre later banned in 2019. In 1985, she broke away from this organization and established Dukhtaran-e-Millat as her own reformist group.
The outfit gained significant prominence in 1991 when it launched a campaign to enforce the veil across the Kashmir Valley. Andrabi married Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, also known as Mohammad Qasim, in 1990. Faktoo served as one of the top militant commanders in the Valley and is currently serving a life sentence.
A mother of two children, Andrabi experienced her first arrest in 1993. She spent thirteen months in detention along with her husband and infant child. Authorities subsequently arrested her multiple times under the Public Safety Act on various occasions.
Organization's Activities and Decline
Dukhtaran-e-Millat became known for launching campaigns against Valentine's Day celebrations, labeling them as un-Islamic. Andrabi established herself as one of the most hardline separatist voices in the region. She demonstrated a willingness to criticize even established separatist figures like Syed Ali Geelani.
However, following her arrest and the Centre's broader crackdown on separatist outfits in Kashmir, Dukhtaran-e-Millat has become virtually defunct. Like many similar organizations, it has lost its operational capacity and public presence.
Official Statements and Broader Implications
Former NIA Inspector General Alok Mittal provided details about the case. He stated that the accused persons used various media platforms to spread insurrectionary imputations and hateful speeches. These speeches advocated violence against India and called for Jammu and Kashmir's secession from the Indian union.
The FIR registered on April 27 outlined multiple charges against Andrabi and her associates. These included:
- Being part of a proscribed organization
- Waging war against the country
- Sedition and criminal conspiracy
- Obstructing or attempting to obstruct constitutional authorities
- Inciting riots and promoting enmity between communities
- Public mischief and inciting mutiny against the government
While these convictions may have limited immediate impact on the ground given the reduced space for separatist activities, they carry symbolic weight. They reaffirm the central government's firm policy approach toward separatist elements and separatism in the Kashmir region.
The legal process has reached its conclusion with this conviction, marking another chapter in the ongoing efforts to address challenges to national security and integrity through judicial means.
