HC gives split verdict in 2016 case of killing of NIA officer, wife in Bijnor

The Allahabad High Court has given a split verdict in a nine-year-old case involving the fatal shooting of National Investigation Agency (NIA) Deputy Superintendent of Police Tanzeel Ahmed and his wife in their car in Bijnor.

Justice Rajiv Gupta of the court’s two-judge Bench ruled in favour of the acquittal of the accused, Raiyyan, while Justice Harvir Singh partially upheld the May 2022 order of the Bijnor trial court, which had convicted him, and commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment.

Justice Rajiv Gupta noted that the defence highlighted significant omissions and contradictions in the testimony of the eyewitnesses. For instance, the late officer’s brother and daughter had not revealed the assailants’ names at the time of registering the FIR.

In view of the split verdict, the case has now been referred to Chief Justice Arun Bhansali for the constitution of a larger Bench to rehear the matter.

Another accused, Munir, died before the case was decided by the Allahabad High Court.

According to the details of the case, in April 2016, NIA officer Tanzeel Ahmed and his wife Farzana had gone to attend a wedding in the Kasba Seohara town of the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh.

As they were driving their car, two bike-borne assailants—Raiyyan and Munir—overtook their car and allegedly fired multiple shots at them. Tanzeel died on the spot, while Farzana sustained injuries and succumbed 10 days later.

Tanzeel, at that time, was posted as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the NIA, and was investigating several terror-related cases.

A total of 19 witnesses were examined by the trial court, including Tanzeel’s brother Raghib Masood, eyewitness Hasib, who confirmed the presence of the accused at the spot and the firing incident, and also the daughter of the late officer.

In 2022, the sessions court convicted Raiyyan and Munir of murder and sentenced them to death. It also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on them.