Who is Farooq Ahmed Dar, Bitta Karate, from The Kashmir Files? Where is he right now?

With the release of "The Kashmir Files" in theatres, the role played by actor Chinamy Mandlekar of Farooq Ahmed Dar, alias Bitta Karate, is going viral on the internet. To find out more about him, scroll down. 

"The Kashmir Files" is a Hindi-language drama film which is written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The film is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits during the Kashmir Insurgency. It exemplifies genocide. It was theatrically released on March 11, 2022. The film has taken the box office by storm. 

Who is Farooq Ahmed Dar, Bitta Karate, from The Kashmir Files?

In the movie "The Kashmir Files," the principal villain role is played by Chinmay Mandlekar as Farooq Ahmed, aka Bitta. It is said that the "karate" name he earned was due to his mastery of martial arts. And so his nom de guerre is Bitta Karate. In the 1990s, he went on to become synonymous with terror in the Valley. Once, in an interview, he admitted to murdering multiple Kashmiri Pandits during their 1990s exodus. 

As mentioned earlier, he used to work for his family business until he left his home to become a terrorist. He was picked by the then JKLF chief commander, Ashfaq Majeed Wani, across the LoC to Pakistan-administered Kashmir for armed training in around 1988. There, he reportedly received around 32-days of armed training in a state-sponsored terrorist training camp. 

He was involved in the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.

After returning from arms training, in the 1990s, he spread terror in the valley. He was imprisoned for the killing and ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits. Satish Kumar Tickoo, a young businessman, was his first victim. He was his close friend. Bitta Karate shot him in front of his house. In the streets of Srinagar, he would also walk armed in search of Kashmiri Hindus, and while spotting, he would shoot them with a pistol. Once, in an interview, he admitted to killing at least 20 Kashmiri Hindus. However, he later claimed that he had not killed any Pandits and that the statement was made under duress. 

Bitta was arrested in 1990 by Indian forces and remained in detention until 2006. In 2006, he was released on bail. After being released from detention, he joined the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (R). There, he worked and became its chairman. In 2019, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested him again on charges of terror funding. 

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