A special designated National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in South Kashmir has framed charges against Asiya Andrabi and two of her close associates Nahida Nasreen and Sofi Fahmeeda, local media reported.
According to the report, special designated judge Javed Alam chargesheeted nine persons, including Andrabi, Nasreen and Fahmeeda associated with Dukhtaran-e-Millat under an FIR registered in Anantnag.
The chargesheet read as assault, conspiracy against the country, and damaging public property and inciting people, especially youth and college students.
Andrabi and her two associates who are at present lodged in Tihar Jail were not presented physically in the court premises by the jail authorities. However, the charges were framed through video-conferencing, reported Free Press Kashmir.
NIA special court indicted the accused in this case after a period of about three years.
Under the chargesheet, Andrabi and eight others are charged with ‘disturbing law and order’.
The chargesheet states that Andrabi and other accused conspired together and led a mob equipped with stones.
Earlier, in February this year Delhi’s Patiala House court had framed sedition and other charges against Asiya Andrabi and her two associates for allegedly waging war against the government of India.
On February 20 this year, the Special Judge Parveen Singh at Patiala House Court New Delhi had put Andrabi and her associates Nahida Nasreen and Sofi Fahmeeda on trial for various offences cognizable under IPC and the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The court passed the order after the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.
Andrabi, the chairperson of Dukhtaran-e-Millat (daughters of nation), has allegedly been accused by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of being involved in conspiracy and acts to “severely destabilise the sovereignty and integrity of India”, along with her two other associates.
NIA has alleged them of running a campaign to gather support for their anti-India and secessionist views through their activities on cyber space.
The NIA, registered a case against them and their organisation on the directions of Ministry of Home Affairs.
Dukhtaran e Millat is the only women’s socio-political organisation in Kashmir that has since late 1980’s been actively participating in the indigenous struggle for the secession of Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir from India.
Asiya Andrabi is the founder and Chairperson of Dukhtaran e Millat, Nahida Nasreen is the founding member and General Secretary of the group, Sofi Fahmeeda is the publicity secretary of the group.
The three accused were arrested in April 2018 from Anantnag district of South Kashmir and have since then been lodged at Tihar Jail, in New Delhi.
