By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: For Sheikh Abdul Kaleem getting acquitted from charges of Makkah Masjid blast case was just like getting awake from a bad dream. Not only this, he doesn’t want to remember those 18 months spent in jail for doing nothing.
He was in Lucknow on Saturday, where he was felicitated by Maulana Hasrat Mohani Award by Maulana Hasarat Mohani Academy at UP Press Club. Renowned Poet, Rais Anasari and General Secretary of the Academy, Athar Nabi awarded him on the occasion.
It may be noted that Makkah Masjid blast took place on 18th May 2007, and Shiekh Abdul Kaleem along with nearly 40-45 persons were arrested during investigations. He was kept in jail for nearly 18 months, but after getting clean chit in the case he was acquitted. Later, in the year 2010, when he went to meet his cousin in jail, he was again arrested for allegedly supplying mobile phone inside jail. After spending another 80 days in prison he was freed in January 2011.
Not only this, he was the same person who with his good behaviour and nature compelled Swami Asimananda to admit his involvement in several blast cases including Makkah Masjid blast case and cleared that Kaleem and many others were innocent.
Kaleem shared his experiences in Jail and after getting acquitted from all the charges. “I was the student of MBBS first year when I was arrested by the police alleging involvement in blast. Due to which I was rusticated from the college and after getting clean chit, when I went back to take admission in that college, they denied in pressure of police,” he shared.
He added that after which “my mother ‘Fatema’ asked me for joining law course as I will be able to provide free services to those innocent people who are arrested like me and doesn’t get support from anyone.”
He said that I and my family suffered a lot during those 18 months as everyone living in our street boycotted my family and also many of our relatives also stopped meeting too. “My two real brothers who were living in Dubai and Saudi Arabia were also named in this case but after sometime they were also acquitted from all the charges. We have suffered a lot during those days and don’t want to remember those days,” he added.
When asked what he did with Swami Asimananda which compelled him to admit his involvement in Makkah Masjid blast case. He said that I didn’t talk much about the case with Swami, as we were kept in a special barrack of Chanchalguda Jail, I used to help him in several ways. “Due to some medical problems, Swami was not able to walk much, so I used to provide him water, I served him during that period without knowing that he was person behind all that,” he added.
Secretary of Maulana Hasrat Mohani Academy, Mohd Imran Khan said that we decided to give this prestigious award to Kaleem because even after suffering atrocities of Andhra Government despite the fact that he was innocent, Kaleem has engaged himself in social works and has been helping people. “He also showed perfect example of Unity and Brotherhood and gave weight to ‘Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb’, so he deserves this award,” he added.