Naqi Ahmed, arrested for 13/7 blasts
Mateen Hafeez | TNN
The family of Naqi Ahmed said they had gone to the Mazagaon court on Monday with all the necessary documents to get him bail in the forgery case he was arrested in. However, to their dismay, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) announced that it had now arrested Naqi in the 13/7 blasts case.
“We collected the documents and surety papers and were carrying some cash too,” said a relative. “But, our dreams were shattered when we heard in the courtroom that Naqi had been booked in the 13/7 blasts case.” Another reklative said, “Our Naqi cannot be a terrorist.”
The ATS is alleging that Naqi knew
of Indian Mujahideen (IM) leader Yasin Bhatkal’s activities and arranged for his accommodation in Mumbai. “Naqi was given money by the IM leader. He had complete knowledge of the 13/7 plan,” said the ATS.
Naqi’s family said he hails from Darbhanga, Bihar, but shuttled between Delhi and Mumbai since his brothers had leather bag-manufacturing units in both cities. Naqi was studying commerce at Maulana Azad Open University at the time of his arrest.
“One agency is saying he was helping the police, the other says he helped the bombers.
Whom should we trust?” asked a relative. “Naqi was in Mumbai along with the Delhi police and an Intelligence Bureau (IB) team. Should we presume that the Delhi police don’t know how to investigate or that the 22-year-old managed to dodge even IB? Is this young man so intelligent?” another relative asked. Naqi’s family said they are waiting for his parents to arrive from Bihar to decide what to do.
ATS chief Rakesh Maria said Naqi’s parents were unaware of his “activities”. “Naqi was close to Bhatkal and was indoctrinated by him in Bihar. We have evidence to prove his involvement,” said Maria.
Times View
More than five years after 26/11, it appears that the lessons are still to be learned. Clearly, India’s many police forces and security agencies still refuse to coordinate with each other when it comes to the fight against terror. Whether it is the quest for cornering credit or petty turf battles, something almost always seems to prevent the kind of coordination that is essential if that fight is to be won. What is worse, such talking at cross-purposes can lead to doubts being created about whether an innocent person is being persecuted by the investigating agencies, even where there is no real reason for such doubt. Whether this is one such case is a separate matter.
The Times of India, January 25, 2012
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