MUMBAI: Seeking custody of the 20 accused allegedly belonging to Indian Mujahideen, the Mumbai crime branch filed a remand application before the special MCOCA court on Tuesday stating the IM has “outraged religious feelings of Hindus”.
“The organisation (IM) deliberately and intentionally outraged religious feelings of Hindus, and thereby created fear and communal tension between Hindu-Muslim communities and it has shown disregard to the police force to cause fear in public and also induced to commit offence against public tranquility,” is how the remand plea reads.
The 20 were booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, for “waging war against the state”.
They were also booked under sections of the Arms Act, Indian Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act, Information Technology Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The Investigating officer, assistant commissioner of police Ashok Duraphe, who sought 14 days police custody of the accused, claimed this group was responsible for the bomb blasts that have occurred in the country since 2005.
The police stated in the remand application that IM “had made life threats to police officers from the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), the Gujarat police, the DGP (director-general of police) etc who worked against Muslims and Islam religion”.
The remand narrates the investigation carried out by the police after the first arrest of Afzal Usmani. It says Usmani had admitted to stealing cars used later in the Ahmedabad serial blasts and to placing the bombs in Surat. The police say the rest of the accused were subsequently arrested through “tactful” interrogation.
Of the 20, only Usmani has been chargesheeted thrice in the past 10 years. While he is still being tried in two cases involving extortion and attempt to murder, he has already been acquitted in a murder case where he was booked under MCOCA.
The remand also alleged that the “organised crime syndicate” gained “pecuniary benefits” or other advantages from wanted accused, Aamir Raza, based in Pakistan.
Special MCOCA judge RG Awachat directed his staff member to ask each of the accused if he had any complaint against the police. After all the accused answered in the negative, the judge granted them police custody till October 21.
The police had sought custody on the grounds that they want to trace the absconding accused including brothers Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, Aamir Raza, Abu Rashid Iqlaq Shaikh and that they wanted to find out the source of the explosives and weapons. Also, telephonic conversations between the accused need to be established.
