Pahalgam Attack: 'Allahu Akbar' chant by zip line operator natural reaction, say NIA sources
Srinagar, Apr 29: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that the zip line operator who was heard chanting 'Allahu Akbar' during the recent terror attack in Pahalgam was reacting naturally to the sudden violence and had no known links to the attackers.
The zip line operator, identified as Muzammil, was seen in a viral video recorded on April 22—the day of the attack that claimed 26 lives—chanting 'Allahu Akbar' three times while a tourist used the adventure ride. The video, captured by tourist Rishi Bhatt, showed both the zip line activity and the sound of gunfire during the attack.
After the video gained widespread attention online, the NIA questioned Muzammil about his actions and the timing of his chants. However, NIA sources told India Today TV that chanting 'Allahu Akbar' was likely a spontaneous reaction, similar to how people from other faiths might invoke God during moments of panic or shock. “It is similar to someone saying ‘Hey Ram’ in a moment of fear,” said an NIA source.
While Muzammil reportedly gave different answers when asked why he released the tourist on the zip line after gunfire began, the investigators have not found any evidence so far to directly connect him to the attack.
Rishi Bhatt, who was the last tourist to take the zip line ride before the attack, had claimed that Muzammil chanted 'Allahu Akbar' thrice just before the shooting started. The video was recorded on Bhatt’s camera.
Meanwhile, Muzammil's brother Mukhtar spoke to India Today/Aaj Tak, strongly defending his sibling. He said Muzammil had no prior knowledge of the attack and ran for his life as soon as the firing began.
Reacting to the incident, People's Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Mohammad Iqbal Trumboo told ANI that such chants are common in Kashmir during any tragic or shocking incident. “Kashmiris naturally remember Allah during disasters. People outside do not understand our culture. This has nothing to do with militancy,” he said.
Trumboo also criticised the authorities, saying the focus should be on reviewing lapses in the security system rather than targeting innocent individuals.
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PM unveils Rs 10,601-cr fertiliser plant in Assam, unit to be commissioned by 2030
Namrup (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Dibrugarh district of Assam.
The facility – Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) – will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes and the project is scheduled for commissioning in 2030.
The PM, on the last day of his two-day Assam visit, laid the foundation stone of the plant here, located within the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corp Ltd (BVFCL).
In July this year, AVFCCL was incorporated at Namrup in Dibrugarh. The projectwas approved by the Union Cabinet in March this year.
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AVFCCL is a joint venture among the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Ltd (NFL), Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) and BVFCL.
Modi arrived in Assam on Saturday on a two-day visit, during which he unveiled multiple projects worth Rs 15,600 crore, months before the assembly polls next year.
"The AVFCCL Namrup ammonia-urea project is being established as a modern, energy-efficient, world-class fertiliser complex with an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, at an estimated investment of Rs 10,601 crore," the company said in a statement.
It said this upcoming facility will play a pivotal role in meeting the fertiliser requirement of Assam, the northeast region, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
"Beyond fertiliser security, the project is expected to act as a major catalyst for industrial growth, employment generation and regional economic development, creating hundreds of direct jobs and thousands of indirect employment opportunities," AVFCCL said.
The company also asserted that the foundation stone laying ceremony marked the revival of Namrup's legacy as the cradle of India's gas-based fertiliser industry, and will herald a new chapter of growth, sustainability and agricultural prosperity for the entire region.
The 'Bhoomi Poojan' took place in presence of Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with other ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and representatives of stakeholder organisations of the new company.
The state-run BVFCL is the only urea-making facility in the eastern India. The facility started production in January 1969, as a part of the Hindustan Fertiliser Corp Ltd (HFCL).
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BVFCL was formed in April 2002 after hiving off the Namrup Unit of HFCL. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, with 100 per cent shareholding by the Government of India.
It is touted to be the first factory of its kind in India to use associated natural gas as basic raw material for producing nitrogenous fertiliser.
The company has played a crucial role in the development of the northeastern region and providing farmers urea fertiliser, which is produced from cheap and locally available domestic natural gas, officials said.
As per the official website of the Department of Fertilisers, the company is now producing neem-coated urea and two organic fertilisers – liquid bio fertiliser and vermi compost under the brand name of 'Mukta'.
BVFCL has two operable ammonia urea units at Namrup, with small capacities, which were established in 1976 and 1987.
