Arrests kick up a row, stir launched

THE Special Task Force (STF) busting terrorists’ module, which was involved in serial blasts in Varanasi last month, has kicked up a row. In the aftermath of the arrests of Wali Ullah, Rizwan and Shaad Ali, the people of Phulpur and Amorha resorted to agitation on Thursday.

While the STF has produced evidence about their involvement in the terror strike, the people of Phulpur and Amora were not ready to buy the arguments. The Imam’s wife Humera Khatoon had also moved a habeas corpus petition in High Court on March 3 against the arrest of her husband. The court issuing the notices to STF had fixed April 12 for next hearing. 

Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, her counsel Vinay Saran contended that Wali Ullah had been illegally detained. While the petition was moved in the court on March 3 about his arrest from Phulpur, the STF had shown his arrest on March 6, from Lucknow. 

According to a report from Amroha, the people resorted to agitation following the arrest of Rizwan Ali, a PG student of local JSH Degree College. He is also working as a teacher in a private Intermediate school. According to school authorities, Rizwan was on duty from March 4 to April 1 as an invigilator at MQM Inter College for UP Board examination. On March 7, the day of Varanasi blasts, Rizwan performed his duty in both the meetings of the examination, the principal of the school confirmed.

The people of Chilla locality, where both Rizwan and Shaad Ali live, resorted to a stir at the residents of sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Lokender Singh and Sheel Kumar, CO City to register their protest against the alleged involvement of two youths in terror strike.

According to Shafiq Ahmed, the father of Rizwan, the police entered his house in the midnight of Sunday and arrested his son in the presence of local the police headed by CO City Sheel Kumar. Shaad was picked up in Lucknow by STF a week earlier when he had come here from Amroha to deliver electric motor parts. The Amroha police refused to comment on the arrests.

Interestingly, the central intelligence agency, which was also involved in the Varanasi investigation, is tight-lipped about the issue. There was no ‘euphoric response’ at the DGP headquarters.

While gunning down terrorist Salim alias Salar on March 8 near Gosainganj, the STF had said that he was coming from Varanasi. But the STF had not confirmed his involvement in the blasts. Salar, who had links with terrorists, was nabbed by the central intelligence agency nearly a month ago in Delhi before being killed on March 8 near Lucknow. “It was aimed at calming down people’s anger at Varanasi blasts,” commented an intelligence officer.