ATS to help out kin of terror suspects

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The state anti-ter rorism squad (ATS) is on a re habilitation mission. The squad is scrutinizing the fi nancial and educational sta tus of families of those who have been caught or jailed various terror cases.
 

    ATS chief Rakesh Maria told TOI that he had instruct ed his officers to compile a re port and submit it to him “We will review the financial and educational status of the wives and children of these terror suspects. If the imme diate family members are financial crisis and do not have a job, we will make sure that they get jobs and lead their lives,” said Maria, add ing that it would help bridge the gap between the police and the public. “The wives and children of these sus pects are suffering for no rea son. They are not the sus pects. They have not committed any crime, so it time we rehabilitate them, added Maria.
 

    Speaking about the trau ma a mother of a terror sus pect faced, he said, “We arrested the operative of a banned outfit who was in volved in a terror case. When the news came out, the sus pect’s mother, who was em ployed with an English-medi um school, was sacked. The woman came to us, stating that she was the only earning member of the family.” Ma ria added that after running a background check, the squad issued a letter to the school management requesting them to reinstate her as it was no fault of hers. “Today, the woman is teaching in the same school,” he said.
 

    ATS officers said families of terror suspects are thrown into turmoil by the arrest. “No one thinks about the education of the children. We are trying to find out the educational status of such families and will help them continue their studies,” said an officer.
 

    The ATS will be organizing an interaction in the first week of June at Police Club, Azad Maidan. “We have invited intellectuals, journalists, maulvis, doctors, professors and social activists for the interaction session. It is an attempt to meet the community and erase the misconception in their minds about the police. We are also trying to find out what can be done to eradicate terrorism from our state,” said Maria.
 

 

Change of Heart I n the last two months, the ATS arranged jobs for two youths who came to them. “They had gone abroad for (terror) training. After returning to India, they had a change of heart and realized the path they chose was wrong. They came to the ATS and said they did not want to be part of a terror outfit. We arranged jobs for them and today, they are working at big firms,” said ATS chief Rakesh Maria. TNN 

 

 

The Times of India, May 13, 2012