Yasin Malik, former JKLF separatist leader, has suffered a major setback in the 1990 case involving the killing of four Air Force officials. Two key eyewitnesses appeared before a TADA court in Jammu and identified Malik as the main shooter in the attack at Sannat Nagar, where four Air Force personnel, including Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, were killed and 22 others injured.
One eyewitness, who was cross-questioned by Malik himself, told him, “Except for your style of beard, you haven’t changed much, and I have no difficulty recognising you as the main shooter.” The witness also identified three others, Showkat Bakshi, Nanna Ji and Javed Ahmad, as involved in the firing.
The witness described the tense moments of the attack and said that Nanna Ji had pointed an AK rifle at him. “He wanted to spray bullets, but I changed my position and saved myself,” he told the court. He recalled how they rushed an injured Air Force official to the hospital and only learned the next day that four of the wounded personnel had died.
Malik, who is currently serving a life sentence in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in a terror funding case, attended the hearing through video conferencing. The court has allowed the cross-examination of the main witnesses. CBI Special Prosecutor SK Bhat was present during the proceedings, and the next hearing has been set for November 29.
The case is being fast-tracked, bringing a sense of closure to the families of the victims after 35 years. Prosecutor SK Bhat said the evidence against Malik and the other accused is strong and supports the prosecution’s case.
