NIA cleared me of all charges but that terror arrest still haunts my life: Syed Yusuf Nalaband

    This special TCN series highlights some of the example cases of people accused of terrorism and their struggle for justice. This series is sponsored by Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC).

    By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net


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    Syed Yusuf Nalaband an electrician from Bagalkot working in Bangalore found himself sitting in a dark interrogation room, with hands tied, having no idea the script of the play he was being made pawn into, he sat in that interrogation room having some hope that he will be walking free soon as two ACP’s from Bangalore and Hyderabad whom just few hours back in the morning raided their flat assured him that he and his friends will be left after some interrogation.

    Little did Yusuf a shy and gullible man who even struggle to comb for words while speaking knew that interrogation will last for next six months to come, which will turn his life upside down.

    On the early morning of August 29, 2012, a joint team of Bangalore and Hyderabad crime branch raided the flat where Yusuf Nalaband along with five of his friends including Journalist Mutti ur Rehman Siddiqui, and DRDO researcher Aijaz Ahmed Mirza were staying.

    Arrest was a cinematic scene
    Yusuf describe the raid of the police like some cinematic screenplay where, police bust in slamming the door and start slapping people who were asleep, breaking down the bathroom door in macho style to get one out, and ever repeated question was ‘where is the pistol?’
    After much beating, searching and threatening, cops then told Yusuf and his friends to keep quiet and ‘get into the police vehicle without any resistance you will be freed within few hours after interrogation’, Yusuf recalls the exact words of raiding police officers.
    But for the bad luck of police, a neighboring old man witnessed those six youths hands-tied getting into vehicle, the old neighbor curious asked those civil dressed officers, ‘where are you taking these kids’? Officers replied ‘it’s a matter of chit-fund fraud’.

    But as just half a day passed the chit-fund fraud arrests for the old neighbor, was now turned out to be the sensational terror assassination conspiracy case for the whole nation, in addition to Bangalore, 18 Muslim youths were arrested from Hubli, Nanded, and Hyderabad, the Crime branch declared that these youths are terrorists hit gang who were planning to assassinate Right-Wing Hindu Journalists, politicians.

    As Yusuf a simple man without any past experience with police, started to witness fierce questioning and cross questioning for extensive hours, he realized the lies of police ACP’s who earlier assured him freedom after few hours of interrogation.

    Police interrogation was more about religion than alleged conspiracy

    Yusuf told TCN that during his police custody he wasn’t physically tortured, but had to go through psychological harassment, he said, “During Police custody we use to face interrogation for whole day, with officers from different agencies asking same set of questions and cross questions. Nearly 12 agencies from RAW to IB and different counter terrorism cells interrogated us.”

    If long interrogation by dozen of agencies wasn’t enough for him to break down, the queries of those agencies turned out to be most of the time more religious in nature than professional, according to Yusuf, “Police officers use to interrogate me for long hours asking typical religious questions like, do you read Quran, do you know about Jihad, where is Jihad sanctioned in Quran.”

    He added, “It will go on from my personal religious practice to asking about if any Maulana I am familiar with, if that Maulana knows about or talks about or preaches about Jihad, or they will ask about my close friends, or relatives, if they know about Jihad!”

    The ‘foreign link’ Akram Pasha arrest tale

    Yusuf also made a startling revelation which could very well hamper the base of this whole case, he said while police was taking them from their flat in JC Nagar to Madiwala police station, in between they stopped at Palace Ground to pick up another detainee Akram Pasha who was in the custody of another police team.

    If Yusuf’s narration of Akram Pasha’s inclusion in their caravan to Madiwalla police station is accurate than Crime Branch has much to answer, because according to police version Akram Pasha went underground after the crackdown in Bangalore, and arrested only after three days of intense search in the city. Bangalore police presented Akram three days after the arrest of Yusuf and his friend’s declaring him a price catch, as to go by police version Akram Pasha basically from Nanded district was the main link of the arrested Muslim youths with their foreign handlers in Saudi Arabia.

    Every moment in jail was suffocating

    Yusuf in the custody often felt scared and more worried about his family friends and relatives than of himself, he said during interrogation police use to dig deep even into his extended family relations asking about their religious practices.

    In police custody he witnessed torture of five of his fellow suspects, “After breaking their legs with torture, officers use to make them exercise for quick recovery before presenting them before the magistrate. Police use to threaten those tortured youths from opening their mouth in front of the visiting doctors or the magistrate.”

    Yusuf who never thought of spending night and days in jail, said in irritated expression that he cannot describe his experience in jail, “Every moment I spent there was suffocating, sitting in the corner I often use to wonder when will I get released, when can I get to see my mother’s face, if my friends will accept me again, and will my employer keep me back again in the job.”

    Yusuf was the only son and bread-earner for her ailing mother, he was the only one to look after her, “My family has to live for 6 months without my earnings, more than me, it was more difficult time for my mother.”

    When in judicial custody Yusuf said he use to read different newspapers only to find each and every one of it declaring him a terrorist, from a member of LeT, to HuJI, from ISI agent to Indian Mujahideen militant. Yusuf also alleged that imported 7.65 mm revolver, with seven live bullets which is the main evidence in the hands of police in the assassination conspiracy case was never found from their flat. He alleged it was planted by the police to make a concocted case.

    On Nov 25, 2012, NIA took over the case from local police, during its course of investigation NIA found it has prosecutable evidence to relate Yusuf and his roommate Journalist Muttiur Rehman with this case, on Feb 24, 2013 both of them were discharged of all charges by NIA, after 6 months of unjust incarceration Yusuf walked free from Parappana Agrahara Central Jail.

    When Yusuf was out of the jail, the same media which framed him a terrorist was desperate for his bite, Yusuf in joyful mood minced his words on their reporting and just thanked Allah and human rights activists specially Association for Protection of Civil Rights for helping them in hard times. He said “My release was a big relief to my family.”

    Police still haunts

    But three months after his release Syed Yusuf Nalaband said the effect of that unjust arrest is still haunting him, he met his employer Aero Digital Electronics but is not sure if it will take him back. He is determined to live a normal life again, but said police is keeping him in continuous surveillance, now presently without a house or any job he is living in accommodation provided by APCR where police officers are regular visitors, to ‘check his well-being’. Yusuf said he now feel scared even to travel anywhere alone.

    Though he spent only 6 months in jail, but he believe that he lost some considerable thing from life, which he fears will haunt him for many years to come. On asking for any message to the biased media and police who brought his life to stand still, Yusuf in his humble voice tells them, “it’s not good branding some innocent person with crimes he didn’t commit, please stop targeting innocents.”

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    Terror tales

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