Jammu Railway Station blast: Accused arrested after 35 years

Jammu, Aug 13: The Government Railway Police (GRP) Jammu on Thursday arrested an absconding terrorist accused in a 1991 bomb blast at Jammu Railway Station, bringing a 35-year-old manhunt to an end.
According to reports, the accused, identified as Altaf Hussain Sheikh, of Marhama-Bijbehara in Anantnag, had initially gone underground and subsequently lived for several decades under a concealed identity.
A police official said that Sheikh was among the accused involved in the bomb blast that took place on April 2, 1991, at Platform Number 1 of Jammu Railway Station. The blast left three persons dead, including two paramilitary personnel, and injured 18 civilians.
An FIR (No. 07/1991) was registered at GRP Jammu under Sections 307, 302 and 120-B of the RPC, Sections 3/4 of TADA and Sections 4/5 of the ESA.
During the investigation, one accused, Aman Ullah Khan, was arrested, while three others managed to evade arrest and were subsequently declared absconders by the competent court.
Police said that over the past two years, GRP Jammu intensified its efforts to trace the remaining accused. Following detailed verification of identity and residential particulars, investigators established that Sheikh had been living under a concealed identity and had built a successful business in the Bijbehara area in South Kashmir.
After a prolonged pursuit and meticulous verification, the GRP team arrested Sheikh and produced him before the TADA Court in Jammu on August 13, 2026 for further legal proceedings. The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in a case dating back more than three decades and brings one of the long-pending accused in the 1991 railway station blast to justice. (KNO)