Centre declares JeM commander Nengroo designated terrorist

Ashiq Ahmed Nengroo, a commander of banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), was designated as a terrorist by the Centre on Monday for his involvement in various terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir.

Nengroo is the fifth individual to have been designated as a terrorist by the Centre in the last fortnight.

In a notification, the Union home ministry said Nengroo has been involved in the infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir and has also been responsible for perpetrating various terror incidents in the Union Territory.

Nengroo (34) is running a terror syndicate in Kashmir and is now “engaged in a perilous campaign to orchestrate terror in Jammu and Kashmir”, remote controlled from Pakistan, the ministry said.

In view of the danger that Nengroo poses to the security of India and in order to deter him from perpetrating terror acts, he has been designated as a terrorist under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the ministry said.

Nengroo, who was born on November 20, 1987, hails from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

His brother Abbass Ahmed Nengroo was an active terrorist of the JeM and was killed in 2013. In February 2020, after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) summoned Nengroo, he along with his family went missing.

Nengroo was involved in cases related to the killings of a police personnel in Pulwama in 2013 and a civilian in 2020. He has allegedly been funding terror acts and illegal supplies of weapons to terrorists.

The Centre believes that Ashiq Ahmed Nengroo alias Nengroo is involved in terrorism and is to be notified as a terrorist under the UAPA, the notification said.

With the declaration of Nengroo as a terrorist, the law-enforcement agencies can now attach his properties, besides booking any person associated with him.

Nengroo was also instrumental in helping JeM chief Moulana Masood Azhar’s nephew Idrees infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir via the Samba border. His activities clearly point towards his proximity with the JeM chief.

His effort to take his family along with him manifests that he has no plans of returning and his aim is to continue inflicting violence on the hapless civilians of Jammu and Kashmir to keep the terror-running factory up and running, an official said.

Nengroo is the 36th individual to have been declared as a designated terrorist by the Centre.