Srinagar Court Sentences Former Militant to Life Imprisonment for Mosque Murder

SRINAGAR, Aug 10 — A local court has sentenced former militant Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar to life imprisonment for the 2020 murder of Abdul Gani Dar inside a mosque in Srinagar. Principal Sessions Judge Haq Nawaz Zargar delivered the verdict, emphasizing that violence inside a house of worship severely undermines communal harmony and cannot be tolerated.

The victim, a 78-year-old former chief of the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen outfit, was killed inside the Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadith mosque in Gawkadal on February 13, 2020. Police arrested the 60-year-old convict shortly after the incident, where he inflicted fatal injuries during an assault inside the premises.

In addition to the life sentence, the court imposed a fine of 50,000 rupees on the convict, who will serve his term at the Udhampur district jail. The court also directed the Jammu and Kashmir State Legal Services Authority to provide 7 lakh rupees in financial compensation to the victim’s dependents to support his family.