Asiya Andrabi, two aides sent to 10 days NIA custody  

Asiya Andrabi, chief of the Kashmiri women's separatist group Dukhtaran-e-Milat (Daughters of Faith), and two of her associates were sent to 10 day National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody on Friday.

After Andrabi, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen were presented before a Special NIA Judge Poonam Bamba in connection with a sedition case filed against them, the court allowed the agency to quiz the three accused till July 16.

Andrabi and her two associates, who were in Srinagar Central Jail, were flown to Delhi by a team of NIA officers, police sources said.

Seeking custody of the three, the NIA told the court that their custodial interrogation was required to unearth the larger conspiracy as they had made several calls to terrorists and over ground workers active in Kashmir Valley.

The agency also told the court that during the course of investigation, several mobiles numbers, used by the members and associates of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, were collected and further analysed.

During analysis, it was found that they are in regular contact with their associates in Pakistan and are involved in anti-India activities, NIA informed the court.

"The present investigation has so far revealed that the accused persons, namely Asiya Andrabi, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, are found involved in conspiracy and acts to severely destabilise the sovereignty and integrity of India," the agency said.

"By their activities on cyberspace, they are running a concerted campaign to solicit support of Pakistani establishment which inter-alia includes arranging support from terrorist entities in Pakistan," the agency added.

Defence counsel Satish Tamta has opposed NIA's plea seeking custody of the accused.

NIA has alleged that Andrabi and her associates are actively running terrorist organisation Dukhtaran-E-Millat and using various media platforms to spread insurrectionary imputations and hateful speeches that endanger the integrity, security and sovereignty.

The accused are promoting enmity and hatred between different communities and have entered into a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the government of India, it said.

The agency has booked them under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.