Three decades after her high-profile abduction and release, Rubaiya Sayeed, 56, the daughter of former home minister and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, on Friday identified four of her kidnappers including JKLF founder Yasin Malik before a TADA Court .
Sayeed was kidnapped in December 1989 by Malik and his aides. Her father was the union home minister at the time in the VP Singh-led National Front government. The court has fixed August 23 as the next date of hearing in the much publicized case.
Sayeed, who now lives in Chennai appeared personally after the TADA court issued summons seeking her physical appearance in the case.
“She recorded her statement before the court and stated whatever she had to. She stood by her statement made earlier to CBI,” said her lawyer Anil Sethi. “She identified her abductors (including Yasin Malik) on the basis of photographs.” He added that she would appear before the court again on the next date of hearing.
“ Malik is insisting on a personal cross examination of the witnesses in the case,” he added.
Malik, presently undergoing life sentence in Tihar jail in a terror funding case, moved an application to the government of India seeking his personal appearance in two cases – the Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and the killing of four IAF officials including squadron leader Ravi Khanna.
Special public prosecutor in the TADA Court Monika Kohli said that the identification is a “ big development and a big achievement for us. She stood by her statement before CBI. She has identified everybody.”
“She was shown the photographs today and she identified them .This is a step forward for the prosecution of Yasin Malik and other accused in the case,” Kohli added.
The TADA court in Jammu had issued summons to Rubaiya Sayeed on May 27 to appear before the court in person in connection with her abduction case.
Sayeed, who is sister of PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, landed in Jammu on Thursday evening. She is listed as a prosecution witness by CBI which took over the investigation of the case in early 1990.
Sayeed was kidnapped by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front on 8 December 1989 and was released on December 13.
The militants had demanded the release of five arrested militants in return for her release and the Union government conceded to their demand.
On January 11, 2021, the TADA had ordered that the charges be framed against Yasin Malik and nine others.
Special Judge TADA Court had then ordered that charges be framed against Yasin Malik, Ali Mohamad Mir, Mohammad Zaman Mir, Iqbal Ahmad Gandroo , Javed Ahmad Mir , Mohammad Rafiq Pahloo alias Nana Ji alia Saleem , Manzoor Ahmed Sofi, Wajahat Bashir , Mehraj-ud-Din Sheikh and Showkat Ahmad Bakshi.
According to the CBI case, the accused kidnapped Rubaiya Sayeed with the motive of getting five terrorists released.
The TADA court in March 2020 also framed charges against Yasin Malik and six others allegedly involved in the killing of four unarmed Indian Air Force (IAF) officials including Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna in 1990 in Kashmir.
The next date of hearing in the case pertaining to the killing of IAF officials is August 22.
