By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: In an unprecedented instance of compassion towards restoring the life of a terror case acquitted person, Death Penalty Research Project, National Law University, Delhi has started a campaign to raise funds and help Adam Suleiman Ajmeri, one of the acquitted persons in the 2002 Akshardham terror case to get back his life.
Ajmeri was arrested in August 2003, almost 11 months after the Akshardham Temple terrorist attack in Gujarat, illegally detained for close to a month and was tortured to confess the crime.
In 2006, a special court convicted him and sentenced him to death, and the death sentence was confirmed by the High Court in 2010. Eleven years after spending crucial years of life behind the bars, the Supreme Court on May 16, 2014 acquitted Ajmeri and all other accused from the case, admonished police investigation and implication of innocents in the case.
The divisional bench of Supreme Court consisting of Justices A K Patnaik and V Gopala Gowda had observed, “Before parting with the judgement, we intend to express our anguish about the incompetence with which the investigating agencies conducted the investigation of the case of such a grievous nature, involving the integrity and security of the nation. Instead of booking the real culprits responsible for taking so many precious lives, the police caught innocent people and got imposed the grievous charges against them which resulted in their conviction and subsequent sentencing.”
In its historic judgement, the Supreme Court acquitted Ajmeri and Abdul Kayum from death sentence; Mohammad Hanif Shaikh, Abdullamiya Yasinmiya Kadri and two others from life imprisonment and 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment.
Now, after 10 months of his acquittal, when he is struggling to get back to his life and resume his family responsibilities, Ajmeri is a hapless person, a victim of false police investigation.
At such a testing time, the Death Penalty Research Project, NLU interviewed Adam and found that he lives with his family of seven, consisting of his wife and six children in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Twelve years ago, he was an auto driver plying in the streets of Ahmedabad. He is presently unemployed; his family subsists on a meager Rs 5000 per month earned by his elder son Muhammad Almas, who runs a sewing unit.
After talking with him, the group found that Ajmeri plans to set up a small dairy farm to earn livelihood. He plans to rent a small area of land on the outskirts of Ahmedabad to rear goats and cows to sell milk and milk products. He estimates that to start this enterprise, Adam will require an initial capital to the tune of Rs 7,00,000.
The group has already started its campaign to raise funds on Milaap website appealing people to donate.
Describing the hardships faced by Ajmeri, the campaign reads at one place, “Grim memories are woven into Adambhai’s past, proffering neither solace nor escape, and the future does not seem to hold in its uncertainty the promise of a better life. He does not have the means to eke out even a meager living, much less the ability to reconstruct his life from the shattered remains of what is left of his past. Let us help Adambhai start afresh.”
Interestingly, the campaign is turning out to be a major success as the group is able to raise nearly 40% of the fund in only three days. There is an overwhelming response on the group’s Facebook page too.
The appeal in the end reads, “Your contribution towards setting up Adambhai’s business will help sustain him and his family. Support Adambhai and his family to rebuild their lives and reclaim their lost years. Please donate.”
Another acquitted person on death row, Abdul Qayyum has filed a petition with the help of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, a socio-religious organization, before Supreme Court seeking compensation and legal action towards police who falsely implicated him in the case. The petition is pending before the Supreme Court.
Related:
Akshardham terror trail: Gujarat Police, 6 innocents and Jamiat Ulema