National   

Relatives of suspects picked up demand their release

JAIPUR: Anxious relatives of suspected persons picked up by the Rajasthan police from several towns in connection with the May 13 Jaipur serial blasts gathered here on Monday to demand their immediate release. They alleged that those detained were being subjected to mental and physical torture.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which swung into action after the breakthrough in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case, rounded up a dozen people across the State since Saturday. Two of them are medical graduates who, the police believe, had some contact with Sajid Mansuri, former SIMI zonal secretary in Gujarat, arrested recently in the neighbouring State.

While Abrar Ali, doing internship in the Sawai Man Singh Medical College here, is still in the SIT’s custody, Anwar Hussain, who was preparing for the medical post-graduate entrance examination at his native town Niwai after undergoing training at AIIMS in New Delhi, was let off on Monday evening.

Sajid Mansuri, one of the alleged associates of Abul Bashar Qasmi — who, the Gujarat police claim, is the mastermind behind the Ahmedabad bombings — is believed to have stayed in the hostel room of Dr. Ali shortly before the May 13 blasts in Jaipur. Dr. Ali shared the room with Dr. Hussain for some time.

Dr. Ali’s father, Mohammed Ashfaq, told The Hindu here that his son had an acquaintance with Mansuri during the latter’s brief stay in Kota, which is the native town of the medico. “Even if it is proved that Sajid Mansuri stayed at the hostel room, it does not establish Abrar’s involvement in the conspiracy behind the blasts.”

Mr. Ashfaq, a vegetable wholesaler in Kota, said his son had an excellent academic record in medical studies and he wanted to go in for post-graduation. “It is unthinkable that he would associate himself with any terrorist activity,” he said.

Another colleague of both the doctors, Abdul Aleem, was summoned to the SIT’s interrogation centre on Sunday.

Among the suspects picked up from Kota and Baran, the SIT has released Alauddin and Riyaz Ahmed. Ishaq Qureshi, an elderly medical practitioner running a clinic in Kota, and his son Taufiq Qureshi, a unani medicine student in Jaipur, continue to be in custody.

Another young unani doctor Amanullah Jamali, who was earlier detained for four days in Ajmer in June, has reportedly been picked up again. Dr. Jamali’s family has claimed that he has been missing since August 10 and is confined to the Special Operation Group’s headquarters here.

Dr. Jamali, Medical Officer at the State government’s Community Health Centre at Bagri Nagar in Pali district, was in police custody for four days in the third week of June after he was picked up and asked to explain his presence in Jaipur on the day the bombs exploded in the city, killing 68 people.

While Dr. Jamali’s family unsuccessfully tried to register a first information report about his disappearance, Additional Director-General of Police (Crime) A.K. Jain has denied that he is in police custody.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Shoot orders in 3 Assam districts
Group clash in Ahmedabad
Protesters court arrest in Jammu
Nationwide strike tomorrow
Judgment final, divorce plea rejected
Koda asked to prove majority
Pay hike for U.P. staff, teachers
Relatives of suspects picked up demand their release
Stay all clinical trials on humans: Congress
Revamped post offices launched
U.S. national Ken Haywood leaves India
Petitioning the U.N.
In and out of court
GoM to decide on DD, AIR staff plea
Rangarajan, S.M. Krishna sworn in RS members
ANHAD’s charge

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu