AMN
The NIA has raided the ancestral house of a lawyer Devinder Singh Behal who is believed to be a close associate of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in connection with routing funds to separatists from their Pakistan-based handlers. An official said, the agency had yesterday searched the lawyer’s Jammu-based office and residence.
Behal is the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Social Peace Forum, JKSPF, a constituent of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat headed by Geelani. He is also a member of the legal cell of the separatist amalgam led by Geelani and an associate of the Hurriyat hawk.
Yesterday, Behal’s native place Nowshera of Rajouri district was rocked by protests over his links with separatists and anti-India activities. A large number of youths shouted slogans and demanded action against him.