Pulwama Terror Attack Accused Bilal Ahmad Kuchay Dies of Heart Attack at Jammu Hospital

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.

Kuchey along with 18 other accused were chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 25, 2020. He was among the seven accused arrested in the case. He and the other accused Shakir Bashir, Insha Jan and Peer Tariq Ahmad Shah had provided logistics and harboured the JeM terrorists in their homes. The NIA had filed a chargesheet under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, Arms Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Foreigners Act and the J&K Public Property (Prevention of Damages) Act.

Pulwama terror attack has been one of the worst terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans. The attack followed massive protests, candlelight marches and bandhs across the country, where people came to the streets to demand justice for those killed in the attack. At nearly 3:15 pm on February 14, 2019, a convoy of CRPF jawans was hit by an explosives-laden SUV on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The attack, which was reported near Awantipora resulted in the death of 40 CRPF jawans, while many others were left injured. The Pulwama terror attack also raised questions on the security system of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack was later claimed by Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed. The attacker was identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, a local from Pulwama district, and a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed. They also released a video of the assailant Adil Ahmad Dar, a 22-year old from Kakapora who had joined the group a year earlier.