Farooq Ahmed Dar known by his

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

Bitta Karate, is a Kashmiri separatist, who currently serves as the chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (R) in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Dubbed as the "Butcher of Pandits," due to a confession interview Dar has admitted on camera to massacring multiple Kashmiri Hindu Pandits during the 1990 Kashmir insurgency leading up to the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. He was imprisoned from 1990 until 2006 under terrorism-related charges before being released on bail. He was arrested again in 2019 for financing terrorism.

Early life

Dar was born on 1 January 1973 in the Guru Bazar neighbourhood of the city of

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir,

into a Kashmiri Muslim family of the Dar clan. While "Bitta" was his

pet name A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as '' Izzy'' for Isabel or '' Bob'' for Robert, or it ...

, he was given the suffix "Karate" because of his mastery in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

. Dar used to work for his

family business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by Consanguinity , blood, marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business a ...

until he left his home to become a militant in his early 20s. He became infamous during the militancy of the 1990s.

Militancy

In 1988, Farooq Ahmed Dar was taken across the LoC to Pakistan-administered Kashmir by the then JKLF chief commander Ashfaq Majeed Wani for armed training. Dar was blindfolded and then taken to Pakistan-administered Kashmir along with other "trainees" where they received 32-day armed training. Farooq Ahmad Dar operated as a militant of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front and participated in the militant activities. He has admitted on camera to have killed over 20 Kashmiri Pandits. His first victim was a young businessman, Satish Kumar Tickoo, whom Dar knew and often took a lift from. Tickoo was called out of his house and shot to be killed on 2 February 1990. He apparently used to get orders (for execution) from Ashfaq Majeed Wani or other superiors in the JKLF. According to Kashmiri Muslim sources in downtown Kashmir, Dar would walk armed on the streets of

in search of Kashmiri Pandits and on spotting, he would take out his pistol and shoot at them. He used

pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...

s to kill civilians and

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...

to attack and fire at Indian Security Forces. He admitted to killing at least 20 people in 1990 during the insurgency. According to the convener of Panun Kashmir, he had admitted to killing 42 Kashmiri Pandits. Dar later claimed that he hadn't killed any Pandits and that the statement was made under duress.

1990 arrest

Farooq Ahmed Dar, along with two of his associates, was arrested by Border Security Force on 22 June 1990 from

. He was arrested and detained under the Public Safety Act and had 19 cases against him. He remained under detention for 16 years and was released on indefinite bail in October 2006. Dar was detained in various prisons across India. He served time in Kot Bhalwal Jail in

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

, District Jail in Kathua, Central Jail in

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

, Central Jail in

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

etc.

2006 indefinite bail and release

On 23 October 2006, a court enforcing

Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

(TADA court) in

granted bail to Dar and he was handed over to his family on 25 October 2006. He was initially granted bail for four months against a

bail bond Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when r ...

and personal surety of each. Dar was released after spending 16 years in jail. His detention under the Public Safety Act was quashed by the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...

before his release from jail. His release was condemned by several Kashmiri Pandit organizations. Dar got a warm reception from his supporters in Kashmir. Large number of supporters assembled at his house where flower petals and confetti was showered on him. Then, Dar was taken out in a procession to an Eidgah where prayers were offered. While dictating the verdict, the TADA court judge, Justice Wani remarked:

2006-2019 political career

Upon release from detention, Dar joined the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (R) where he worked his way up to become its chairman.

2019 arrest and detention in terror funding case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested him again in 2019 on charges of terror funding. NIA has charged Dar, Sayeed Salahudeen, and others of "conspiring to wage war against the government" and fomenting trouble in the Kashmir Valley. His co-accused is the Hizbul Mujahideen's head Sayeed Salahudeen. A Kashmiri pandit has called for the reopening of the trial against Dar.

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

* Manoj Raghuvanshi
Portrait of a Killer: An interview with Bitta Karate
Newstrack (via Newslaundry), 29 May 2017, original footage from 1990.
JKLF Leader Bitta Karate Admits To Killing 20 Kashmiri Pandits
India Today (via YouTube), 23 May 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dar, Farooq Ahmed Living people 1973 births Kashmiri people 21st-century Indian Muslims Kashmiri Muslims People from Srinagar 21st-century Indian criminals Kashmiri militants Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front