By TCN Staff Reporter,
Patna: Qateel Ahmed Siddiqui, who was strangulated today in Pune jail according to media reports, was picked by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. Siddiqui was first person from Bihar to have been picked since November in connection with some unsolved terror cases. He was arrested in Delhi on 22 November 2011. He belonged to Barh Samela village under Keoti police station in Darbhanga district. At least three persons from the village and about a dozen from the district have been picked in terror cases in last six months.
After the arrest the police had told media he was involved in several terror cases including Delhi High Court blast of last year. However, Siddiqui’s family refuted the allegation.
Siddiqui was eldest of four siblings. His younger sister had told TCN in March 2012 his brother can never be a terrorist. When you got the news that your brother has been arrested in a terror case, what was your feeling? “I felt very bad as I know my brother can never be a terrorist. In fact, I didn’t believe that my brother has been arrested in such case,” says Sididqui’s sister.
Did you ever feel your brother was in the company of bad people? “Never. He was a very gentleman. He was religious, he offered namaz daily. He would also ask us to offer prayers,” says she.
Siddiqui’s father is a farmer and he is the lone breadwinner now. Siddiqui was married and had a one-year-old daughter. He lived in Delhi with his family but would often visit the village.
Siddiqui’s uncle Mohd Akhter also says his nephew is innocent and he has become victim of a conspiracy against Muslims. He says there is not a single case against him in entire Darbhanga.
“There is no case against him anywhere in entire Darbhanga. Police had come here to catch him but he fled and went to Delhi. Had he been a criminal or terrorist he would not have gone to Delhi,” Akhter says.
Siddiqui, 27, had got education till 10 class in the village. Then he did ITI from Darbhanga and later diploma in civil engineering from Aligarh. He moved to Delhi and opened shop.
After Delhi police, he was also in Karnataka police custody where he was made accused in the Chinnaswamy blast.
Two hours ago TV news channels broke the news about Qateel’s death in Pune jail. According to NDTV, some criminal gang has killed him in his cell.
My brother can never be a terrorist: Qateel Siddiqui’s sister