In April and May, two BJP panchayat members were arrested for running an extortion racket (File)
Two BJP workers and their two police guards have been arrested for faking a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. Police sources said the two BJP workers staged an attack on themselves in an attempt to get enhanced security and attract senior leaders' attention.
Ishfaq Ahmad and Basharat Ahmad, and two personal security officers, were produced before the court on Monday. A magistrate sent them to police remand for seven days.
On Friday evening, the two claimed they had been fired upon by unknown gunmen, in which Ishfaq Ahmad was wounded in his arm.
Initially the police called it "accidental fire by the guard causing minor injury to the BJP worker".
"Weapon of PSO went off accidently in the car, which hit the arm of BJP worker Ishfaq Mir. The other PSO fired in fear. Ishfaq got a minor arm injury. People are requested not to spread rumours of a militant attack," Kupwara district police tweeted.
However, further investigation suggests it was a staged terror attack.
Ishfaq Ahmed is the son of Mohammad Shafi Mir, the BJP's district chief.
The BJP has suspended Mir, his son and Basharat Ahmad, and opened an internal inquiry to take further action.
In April and May, two BJP panchayat members were arrested in Anantnag and Sopore areas for running an extortion racket. They were accused of impersonating terrorists to extort money from traders and apple dealers.
Last year another BJP leader, Tariq Ahmad Mir, was arrested by the NIA for alleged terror links; he was accused of supplying arms to terror group Hizbul Mujahideen.
The arrest was made as part of an investigation into Davinder Singh - a senior J&K police officer arrested in January 2020 while transporting top Hizbul terrorists.
Mir was a sarpanch (village chief) from Wachi in Shopian district. He had contested the 2014 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket.