By TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Mahfooz Ahmed, the Azamgarh youth who was missing since 22nd September and apprehended to have been picked by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), was released late Saturday evening by police in Varanasi. Lots of pressure from Azamgarh residents and Rashtriya Ulama Council leaders played instrumental for the release of Mahfooz, a fourth grade employee of Shibli National College.
Mahfooz was sent by the college for some official work to Varanasi on 22nd September. He was sent to bring audit forms as they were not available in Azamgarh. In the evening on that day, he informed that he was coming back but he couldn’t reach Azamgarh and had since been untraceable. College authorities and family members tried to contact him but his mobile is switched off.
His family apprehended that he might have been picked by the ATS and soon Rashtriya Ulama Council chief Maulana Aamir Rashadi swung into action. Council leaders Maulana Tahir Madani, Maulana Shahab Akhtar and Parmatma Pandey contacted Varanasi Police and ATS to know about the youth. They constantly contacted them. Meanwhile, students of Shibli College and workers of Rashtriya Ulama Council gheraoed the offices of District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police. They also blocked the road. The pressure tactics worked and Varanasi ATS and police called Council leaders to come to Varanasi and take the youth. Maulana Shahab Akhtar and Parmatma Pandey went to Varanasi and brought the youth to Azamgarh in the evening.