Family of Qaeda suspects allege abuse by police

Meeting the press in Madurai on Friday, they claimed that the held youths “are innocent and have no links with the bomb blasts case as claimed by the NIA.” The investigation agency has falsely framed them in the case, they alleged.  Mahabooba Nisha, mother of Samsudeen, one of the arrested youth, claimed that the NIA sleuths come to their house at 3 am in the morning on November 28 and as Samsudeen was not present, they picked up his brother Naseer. Later, they released Naseer. But he was tortured physically and had been asked to force Samsudeen to surrender. 

“When Samsudeen returned in the morning, he informed the family that he would surrender or else NIA would torture the entire family. But my son was innocent and I had raised him in a straight forward manner,” said Mahabooba Nisha. Jasmin, younger sister of Samsudeen, claimed that two men attached to the Mallapuram police from Kerala came to their house for investigation. “They verbally abused the family members. They even forcibly took a family photo and asked for the individual mobile numbers of the members in our family,” she said. “When we refused to give the mobile numbers, the men threatened us saying we have to fall at their feet to get my brother released. They forcibly snatched our mobile phones noted down the numbers and took photos of Samsudeen,” she added. 

Mohammed Ismail, the younger brother of Abbas, another arrested youth, said that his brother had studied till Class 7 and was working as a painter. Moreover, he had met with an accident and had a plate fixed on his hand. “During the bomb blasts dates mentioned by the NIA, my brother could not even move out and he was at home attending to his operated hand,” he said. Abdullah, father of another arrested youth Sulaiman, claimed that his son was a meritorious engineering student and working in a private software company in Chennai. 

“On November 28, the NIA informed us that my son was arrested in connection with the Mysuru bomb blast case. We could not believe the news,” Abdullah said.  When asked about the NIA’s claim that it was Sulaiman who co-ordinated the operations with the rest of the four accused in the blast cases, Sulaiman’s father said that his son was a shy person and never used to interact with others for long.  “My son was a bright student, he could have never done such wrong things,” claimed Abdullah.

The NIA team brought 23-year-old Dawood Suleiman, one of the accused in the Mysuru Court Complex blast, to conduct an identification parade amidst tight security.

The team comprised four high-ranking officers including two ladies. The explosion rocked the Mysuru District Court on August 1, 2016 and the impact smashed the glass windows and doors of a toilet complex.  The NIA on November 27 arrested four persons, associated with the Base Movement, a terrorist outfit inspired by Al Qaeda, for allegedly carrying out explosions at five judicial courts at Chittoor, Kollam, Mysuru, Nellore and Malappuram. The accused was brought from Bengaluru and the team took him to the places where he had visited and placed the bomb. Later, the NIA team returned to Bengaluru.  Interrogation in Mysuru revealed that it was Abbas Ali who manufactured the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and planted it in a pressure cooker. Abbas Ali later handed over the cooker to Sulaiman with instructions to place it inside the Mysuru Court Complex. 

The NIA team asked the sweeper to identify Sulaiman and he narrated the incident that occurred on the blast day. The sweeper told the NIA officials that he never thought Sulaiman to be a terrorist as he spoke politely. The accused said that he did not want to kill and only spread fear.  The IEDs did not have shrapnel and were planted at places where minimum casualties would occur. Sulaiman was brought to the court complex amid tight security and a team of 250 Policemen were deployed around the court. The toilets inside the court were barricaded so that the NIA team could learn how he managed to enter the area with a bomb. DCP (Crime and Traffic), KR ACP C. Mallik and Lakshmipuram Inspector Siddaraju assisted the NIA team.

Alleging that NIA is acting against Islamic youth and is targeting them, the Federation of All Islamic Parties and Organisations (FAIPO) demanded a judicial inquiry into the arrest of five suspected terrorists by NIA.

Idris, coordinator, FAIPO, addressing the media in Madurai on Friday, claimed that NIA was assisted by certain police personnel attached to Special Investigation Division (SID), in Madurai. In the past, they have falsely framed many Muslim youths in bomb blasts cases in Madurai, he said. “Even during the hearing in the Melur Court, they were seen assisting the public prosecutor of NIA during the arguments,” he alleged and added “NIA is working as an arm of RSS and has been booking Muslim youth in false cases.” He also quoted Malegaon and other such bomb blasts and claimed that though it was clear that Hindutva activists were behind the incidents, the NIA had released them. There was clear bias towards Muslims and only Muslim youths were getting arrested, he said.

“Madurai was no different and even a former Madurai SP had written to the DGP claiming that the Intelligence Department in Madurai was creating terrorists by planting series of bombs with the intention to keep the district tense,” claimed the FAIPO co-ordinator. Idris called for an investigation by a special judge into the arrests of five youths by NIA. He warned of large scale protest, if the special probe was not conducted. When asked about the seizure of electronic gadgets as claimed by the NIA, Idris said that no such gadgets were seized from them. “If so, why they have not produced the gadgets in the Melur Court or at NIA special court in Bengaluru,” he questioned.