Bengaluru: More than 150 Muslim clerics and heads of mosques and madarsas across Karnataka held a meeting at Eidgah grounds in Bengaluru to discuss the arrest of Moulana Anzar Shah Qasmi, and decided to extend legal help for his release.
The clerics who believe that Khasmi cannot involve in any terror activity, decided to submit a representation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G. Parameshwara seeking their intervention for a fair probe.
Expressing doubt over his arrest procedures, the members said the Delhi police linking him to the terrorist outfit was not reasonable.
“We do not support anti-national activities and the manner in which he was arrested and portrayed as a terror suspect merely on suspicion is very disturbing,” Syed Shafiulla, convener of the meeting, said.
Even the city Police Commissioner admitted that they did not have information pointing to his involvement in anti-national activities, they said.
His arrest has caused resentment among the youth of the community and we have appealed to them to keep calm, while legal course to secure Qasmi’s release will start at the earliest, they added.
One of those present at the meeting said, “We have seen and have worked with Shah from many years. As we know, he was never involved in anti-national activities. His arrest has really shocked us. Bengaluru City police commissioner N S Megharikh had also stated that they did not have any information about him being involved in terror activities. Shah was following Islam, but he never created disharmony nor was he linked with terror outfits.”
(Agencies)
