Hyderabad: Maulana Abdul Aleem Islahi has denied charges by Hyderabad Police that his son Mohtasim Billah motivated and was helping two allged SIMI activists from Maharashtra to go to Afghanistan for Jihad training.
Maulana Islahi told reporters Friday that after failing in its previous attempts, police is again trying to implicate his son in false cases. He said the police is targeting his son repeatedly ever since Mohtasim’s brother Mujahid was shot dead by Gujarat IPS officer Narender Amin near the Andhra Pradesh DGP’s office in Hyderabad in 2004.
“From that time onwards, when Mohtasim was not even 16, police has filed several cases. But he was acquitted in all cases. Only two cases are left. The judgment in one of them is coming this month-end. It appears they want to keep up the pressure,” he told media.
“They killed my elder son in cold blood and they are now targeting my younger son.”
In 2004, Billah’s brother Mujahid Saleem was killed when a team of Gujarat Police opened fire in Hyderabad as he tried to resist their attempts to arrest Maulana Naseeruddin, a renowned Islamic scholar in Hyderabad, who was arrested and later acquitted of all terror charges on January 12, 2010, after being poisoned for more than five years he in a Gujarat jail.
Mohtasim also claimed that he is innocent. He alleged that police were trying to frame false charges against him.
”I am going to college and signing every month in court records for previous cases filed against me. How can they say I am absconding?” asked 24-year-old Mohtasim, who is a M.Tech student.
“I don’t even have money to pay my college fee, and the police says I offered to finance them.” he said.
Police Wednesday arrested two youth on their arrival in Hyderabad from Maharashtra.
It claimed that Mohtasim had motivated them during their visit to the city last month to go to Afghanistan to get training from the Al Qaeda in order to wage jihad in India to establish an Islamic State.
Mohtasim had even offered financial support to the duo for visa processing, police said.
Shah Mudassir alias Talha (25) and Shoaib Ahmed Khan alias Pusad Shoaib (24), both residents of Maharashtra, are said to be members of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
According to police, the SIMI activists through social networks came in contact with two citizens of Pakistan and one of Afghanistan.
Police have not yet arrested Mohtasim. Police Commissioner Mahender Reddy Friday told reporters that they are seeking custody of the two accused for further questioning.
The police chief refused to comment on Maulana Islahi’s allegations.
“The investigations are on and on the basis of evidence we will take action. We will conduct investigations with open mind. Till proved otherwise every person is innocent. We will go very very professionally in the investigations,” he said.
“We will not arrest anybody if there is no or insufficient evidence. Once the evidence is there, we will not hesitate to arrest anyone,” said the commissioner.
The top cop said it would be difficult at this stage to say who else are involved in the case.
With inputs from IANS