Court allows NIA to conduct Showkat Bhat’s polygraph test

New Delhi, Sep 7:

A Delhi court on Monday allowed the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) plea to conduct lie detector test on Showkat Ahmed Bhat, an accused in the Udhampur blast case.

During in-camera proceedings, District Judge Amar Nath allowed the NIA’s plea seeking permission to conduct polygraph test on Bhat.

Bhat’s polygraph test will be conducted at 11 a.m. on September 8 at Central Forensic Laboratory CGO complex in Lodhi Road here.

NIA said Bhat, who is presently in NIA custody, was inconsistent on various points in his statement and this is hampering the investigation. The polygraph test of the accused needs to be conducted to get concrete leads regarding the larger conspiracy, the agency contended.

Bhat was arrested in connection with this case by the NIA on September 1.

According to the NIA, Bhat allegedly facilitated Mohammed Naveed, the prime accused and three other people in transportation from the India-Pakistan border till the place of their hideout in district Pulwama in Kashmir.

During custodial investigation, Naveed has disclosed the role of Bhat in the alleged conspiracy, the central probe agency said.

From the examination of the accused Naveed, it has been transpiired that Bhat was part and parcel of the larger conspiracy hatched by the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) to wage war against the government of India.

Bhat possess the integrate detail of the conspiracy being further by the senior functionaries of the LeT who are operating from the Pakistan and various parts of Jammu and Kashmir, the NIA said in its application.

“Hence, keeping in view the seriousness and gravity of the offence, I am of the considered opinion that the polygraph test of the accused Bhat is required to be conducted,” the court said.

Naveed and another terrorist attacked a bus on August 5 at Narsu Nallah in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, killing two security personnel and injuring 14 others.

Naveed was overpowered by villagers while the other terrorist was killed in a gunfight with security forces. (IANS)