India

NIA officer being investigated for corruption, espionage in Khurram Parvez case

Photo: Twitter/Khurram Parvez

New Delhi: A senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India in the Khurram Parvez case, as allegations of corruption and espionage against him have come up.

Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez was arrested on November 22, 2021, by NIA under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The officer, Arvind Negi, who investigated several cases in Kashmir while on deputation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) India till earlier this year.

“The probe began after an intelligence input that the details of investigation into crucial cases were being shared with (Pakistan’s) ISI by the officer concerned,” News18 quoted an official as saying.

“The allegation is that Negi passed on the case diary in crucial investigations to ISI,” he added.

Other than human rights activist Khurram Parvez, a Baramulla resident Muneer Chowdhary has also been arrested in this case, the report said.

Muneer is associated with cross-LOC trade. As an NIA officer, Negi probed Kashmir cases like “Hurriyat militancy funding and also NGO militancy links” when Parvez was raided last year.

The report quoting an NIA spokesperson when asked if Negi was being probed for espionage, said: “All I can say is that facts are being verified in this case.”

Quoting sources, the report said the officer had already appeared before the NIA twice to present his side with regard to the allegations.

“The suspicion is that he traded crucial case documents in lieu of money. Investigating agencies are probing his assets, etc,” an officer said.

The former NIA officer’s premises in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, were one of the three locations raided by NIA on November 22, the report said. The other two were Sonwar and Amirakadal in Srinagar — the residence and office of Parvez.

On November 23, when asked about Negi’s role in the case, the NIA had said, “Verification of certain facts revealed from the arrested accused are being done.”

Officials from the NIA said during searches, electronic devices were seized and sent for forensic analysis.

However, Parvez’s arrest has been widely criticized. Various internationally recognized rights bodies and activists criticized his arrest and demanded his immediate release.

On Thursday, six international human rights organizations in a joint statement have sought the immediate release of Parvez and asked the Government of India to follow the human rights laws.

 

Free Press Kashmir is now on Telegram. Click here to Join
FPK Android App for 2G. Click here to Download.

Click to comment
To Top