Fresh probe reveals that the family home was the site of a deadly encounter with two militants, including a Pakistani national, nearly three decades ago
Doda, September 16 — The Doda district police have arrested two brothers in connection with Thursday’s grenade explosion, invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and reviving memories of the region’s troubled past.
Investigators said that Javed Hussain Attu (45) and Muzaffar Hussain Attu (36), sons of late Abdul Ahad Attu of Mohalla Drumri, Tehsil and District Doda, had allegedly conspired to execute a terror strike to unsettle public order and target security forces.
According to police, the duo had hidden a grenade inside their house, intending to launch an attack on a nearby police post or security personnel. But the plan went awry when the grenade slipped from Javed Hussain’s hand, detonating in the courtyard. The explosion caused no injuries, yet spread panic in the neighbourhood.
Following the blast, FIR No. 211/2025 was lodged under Sections 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act and Sections 13, 16, 18 and 39 of the UAPA. The investigation has been handed over to Deputy Superintendent of Police (HQ) Doda, Ajay Anand.
Echoes from a Violent Era
Police officials pointed out that the Attu residence has been linked to terrorism before. In February 1996, a joint team of 10 Rashtriya Rifles and Doda Police engaged in a fierce encounter inside the same house, killing two militants — Abdulla Bahu of Pakistan and local militant Bashir Ahmed of Malwas, Doda.
Following the 1996 encounter, FIR No. 25/1996 was registered under Sections 307 and 212 of the Ranbir Penal Code, 3/25 Arms Act and 3/4 Explosive Substances Act. The brothers’ late father, Abdul Ahad Ittu, was arrested in that case and spent several years in jail before the chargesheet (Challan No. 37 dated June 30, 1997) was filed.
Brothers Under Watch
Officials disclosed that Javed Hussain, a shopkeeper also involved in the scrap trade, and Muzaffar Hussain, an employee of the Health Department, have now been formally taken into custody.
Police are examining whether the two maintained links to a broader militant network or revived dormant terror connections from the 1990s. The recovery of the grenade and the family’s history have renewed fears of hidden militant infrastructure in the Doda region, once a hotbed of militancy during the peak of insurgency.