By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: In a surprising move, the Akola district police on Saturday approached a magistrate court asking release of four persons arrested for alleged links with banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
As per the media reports, the Murtizapur taluqa police told magistrate court of D Y God that Muhammad Rafeeq Abdur Rahman from Mana village, Shaikh Mahmood Lal from Pusad and Muhammad Siddiq Abdul Wahhab & Muhammad Haroon Ghiyasuddin ( both are teachers in Anjuman High School in Khamgaon), are innocent and thereby they should be released.
However, they could not be released on Saturday. ‘How the police are demanding the release of accused while they all have been sent in police custody till July 29?’ the judge reportedly said. The judge also got angry that the police neither produced the diary of the case before the court nor the government plaintiff (SHO, Murtizapur police station in-charge, in this case. He asked the police to approach the court after re-investigation of the case.
The Murtizapur taluqa police at Saturday noon, showing much activeness prepared some papers according to which, the police had failed to find any proof that the four have any link with SIMI or they are involved in any anti-nation activities. A police officer was sent to the magistrate DY God to request him for the immediate hearing of the case and the judge reached the court Saturday night.
Notably, there was the news of difference of opinions between Maharasthra ATS, the agency conducting special investigation in the case, and the minister of state for home Arif Naseem Khan regarding the arrests of Muslims in connection with SIMI. Khan reportedly has raised question on police role in this regard.
Within last few days, the Akola district police and the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra in a joint operation have arrested ten Muslims form different districts of the state. for their alleged links with SIMI.
All of them have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for holding meetings of banned organization and possessing objectionable literature.
The arrested ones are Abdur Razzaq Abdul Karim (40) from Jalna, Masood Khan Mehbood Khan (36) from Aurangabad, Sayyid Ibrahim Sayyid Moosa (47) from Pusad, Mohammad Rafeeq Abdur Rahman (51) from Murtizapur taluqa of Akola, Mohammad Haroon Ghiasuddin (50) & Mohammad Siddique Abdul Wahab (49) (both teachers in Anjuman Islam, Khamgaon), Abdul Ahad Abdus Samad (68) from Amravati, Mehbood Ilyas Sheikh Lal (43) from Pusad, Shaikh Ghafoor Ahmad Patel (73) from Jalna and Nizamuddin Shamshuddin Shaikh from Jalna.
They all are said to have attended an alleged ‘secret meting of SIMI’ at a mosque in Mana village of Murtizapur Taluqa in Akola district of Maharashtara on July 19.
However, some media reports read that the alleged ‘secret meeting’ held in Chhoti Masjid of Mana village, in fact, was a part of islahi and tarbiyati ( reformation and training) programs of Wahdat-e-Islami, an organization formed in August 21, 1994 by Maulana Ataur Rahman Wajidi in Saharanpur district of UP. The group has been conducting its programs for 15 years in different states throughout the year.