Key Accused In 2019 Pulwama Terror Attack Dies In J&K Hospital While Under Custody

An accused in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack died in a government hospital in J&K’s Jammu city, said officials here on Tuesday. Officials said the terror attack accused, Bilal Ahmad Kuchay was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu after he complained of chest pain in Kishtwar district jail. Kuchay was a resident of Kakapora in Pulwama district.

“Late last night he passed away in the Government Medical College Hospital (Jammu) due to heart failure according to the doctors attending to him,” the officials said. It must be recalled that the terror attack occurred in the Lethpora area of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway (in the Pulwama district) on February 14, 2019, in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed.

The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, Adil Ahmad Dar, who rammed his explosive-laden car into the CRPF convoy at Lethpora. Kuchay was one of the three main accused in the terror attack and was arrested in 2020 for providing support to the attackers. The perpetrator of the attack, Dar, who was a local Kashmiri youth from the Pulwama district also died in the attack.

The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India blamed Pakistan for the attack, while the latter denied having any connections to it. The attack dealt a severe blow to India-Pakistan relations, consequently resulting in the 2019 India-Pakistan military standoff.

In the early hours of February 26, 2019, the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes and bombed terrorist camps and training centres deep inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Investigations identified 19 accused in the Pulwama terror attack case.

By August 2021, the main accused along with six others were killed, and seven had been arrested. India observes the anniversary of martyred CRPF troopers each year with solemnity. The paramilitary forces and police renew their pledge to guard the hinterland against forces inimical to peace and tranquillity in J&K.