Bilal Ahmad Kuchey, one of the nineteen individuals formally charged in connection with the devastating Pulwama terror attack, passed away on Monday. The attack, which occurred in 2019, resulted in the tragic deaths of nearly forty CRPF personnel and injuries to over a dozen more. Kuchey, a resident of Hajibal village in Kakapora, had been incarcerated at Kishtwar district jail where he succumbed to a heart attack.
Kuchey and eighteen other individuals were formally charged with harboring terrorists affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the group responsible for the horrific attack. Kuchey and seven others were arrested in connection with the case. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Kuchey, along with other accused individuals like Shakir Bashir, Insha Jan, and Peer Tariq Ahmad Shah, provided shelter and other forms of assistance to JeM terrorists within their homes. The charge sheet against them was filed under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, Arms Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Foreigners Act, and the J&K Public Property (Prevention of Damages) Act.
The Pulwama terror attack, which took place on February 14, 2019, involved a suicide bomber driving an explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy of CRPF vehicles traveling on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Following the attack, security officials launched a counter-offensive to apprehend terrorists and other suspects involved. Six terrorists, including three from Pakistan, were killed in separate encounters. However, six others, including JeM founder Masood Azhar, remain at large. According to the NIA, the Pulwama attack was a meticulously planned criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the Pakistan-based JeM terrorist organization.
The continuing influx of terrorists into the region poses a significant security threat. The NIA has reported that JeM leaders have been sending their operatives to camps in Afghanistan, where they are trained by Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and Haqqani-JeM in the use of explosives and other terror tactics. This underscores the ongoing challenge of combating terrorism and maintaining security in the region.
