By IANS,
Jammu : Father of Wasim Akram, a Jammu and Kashmir resident under National Investigation Agency (NIA) remand in connection with the Sep 7 Delhi High Court blast, Saturday said his son is innocent and he has “faith in the investigating agency”.
Akram’s father Riaz-ul-Hassan Malik reached Jammu in the evening from Delhi and told IANS by telephone: “My son is innocent.”
Narrating the events leading to the arrest of 23-year-old Akram, who is a final year MBBS student of Dhaka Medical College, by the NIA in connection with the blast outside the Delhi High Court Sep 7, Malik said: “Additional Superintendent of Police Ajit Singh of NIA came to me in Kishtwar on Oct 2 and handed over a letter telling me that my son Wasim studying in Dhaka was required to be questioned in connection with Delhi blast.”
He said that the officer said that Akram should present himself in the NIA Delhi office Oct 4. “I immediately called up my son and made him speak to Ajit Singh,” said Malik.
He said when Akram said that he did not have the money to come, he transferred funds into his bank account and asked him to present himself for the investigation.
Malik and his wife also reached Delhi and went to the airport along with NIA officer Vishal Garg to receive Akram. “The NIA people were very nice and courteous. They took all three of us to their office and recorded our statements separately,” said Malik.
The NIA officers told the family that if investigations were not completed in 24 hours, then they would seek Akram’s remand. “They took 14 days’ remand on the next day and said they need to investigate further.”
Akram’s father works as private secretary to chief engineer (civil) of the National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) in Kishtwar. The family also has a house in Jammu.
“My wife was upset over all this and got hypertension so we have come back to Jammu today (Saturday),” he said.
Malik said that his son was studious and “focuses on his studies only. He is absolutely innocent and there is no question of his involvement in the blast”.
Akram had come to Jammu Aug 27 ahead of Eid Aug 31 and returned with a junior colleague Sep 9.
According to Malik, NIA officers have told them that they were questioning all students from Kishtwar who were studying in other parts of the country or abroad.