by Mustafa Khan
Milli Gazette Correspondent, Malegaon
Human intelligence is the most resourceful as well as helpful in
solving the mystery of a crime. In the case of Malegaon 2006 it was
preposterous to accept the police charge sheet that Muslims would use
the pious occasion of Shab-e-barat and kill fellow Muslims in order to
create a Hindu Muslim riot. The night of the festival is the occasion
when their life is judged and future is shaped for them as well as
their dead are forgiven their sins. All this hinges on their
prayerfulness. So the question does not arise of causing terror.
Compare this with the carnage at Hashimpura, Meerut, on such a similar
night on May 22, 1987 when Provincial Armed Constabulary had killed 42
Muslim youths at point blank and let their bodies flow down the river.
Writing on Malegaon has been extremely delicate and dangerous. There
are cases of adultery, homosexuality, rackets, illegal activities of
police informants, in which politicians, policemen (by no means all)
and their informers are involved. There was a typical case reported by
The Milli Gazette (1-15 May 2008): “April 2008. The Malegaon police
raided a pathological laboratory situated in the basement of a private
hospital and recovered five live RDX explosives, three used RDX
explosives, one pistol, a laptop, a scanner, two mobile phones, four
fake currency notes of Rs one thousand each and Rs 5000 in cash and
arrested three persons, viz., Nitish Ashire, Sahebrao Dhurve and
Jitendra Khema belonging to some unknown organization.” The case made
headlines for several days in Marathi newspapers like Lokmat and then
the matter simply disappeared from the paper and also the minds of the
people. Students Islamic Movement of India has been so much etched in
the minds that people do not bother about the ‘unknown organizations’
to which the three belonged.
However, there is very serious angle to this. Were the three used RDX
explosives remains of the three bombs that went off at the graveyard
on September 8, 2006? And, was the bomb that went off at Bhiku chowk
on September 29, 2008 from the five live ones seized? In the absence
of the resolution of the case of seizure it would be logical to ask
what happened to the arms cache.
The police had also seized arms and ammunition from Malegaon in the
second week May, 2006 and some of the accused were also arrested in
the bomb explosions three months later. The police allegedly recorded
statements on phone in which one who planted the bomb speaks of
difficulty in bringing ‘material’ into the town. Was this a reference
to the RDX seized? In another failed attempt to record phone
conversation, a witness Hamid Iqbal is asked to issue ominous threat
that betraying Muslims would result in bloody revenge. Was this made
out to be a threat of a terrorist group? Un/fortunately, Hamid Iqbal
refused to oblige the police or their informer. He wrote all this in
affidavit and submitted to the court. Today, September 13, 2011 I ran
across him on his way to meet National Investigation Agency (NIA). He
had the same clear determination that he would depose the same truth
to the officer.
Another instance of human intelligence is that of the retired teacher
Sadique Ansari whom the police had especially taken to Nasik from
Malegaon to depose before the chief of CBI Kandasamy. He had said that
he had heard a colleague in the Home Guard making frequently calls on
his two mobiles to Nagpur. One of them has the number 9422253996. He
was retailing information of the explosions. His house is in Satana
naka where Tulsi lodge is located, a place where the alleged
terrorists may have stayed. When NIA officer Pradeep Mani called me to
discuss some points I argued with him that if the bombers had bought
cycles from Pangrapole shopping complex then it would be in the
fitness of things that they started from the west at Satana naka and
came to the shopping complex and then went straight to Super market
near Juna Faran hospital and turned into the Ghalib road that first
reaches the Mushawarat chowk and leads to the adjoining graveyard.
One of the cycles was assembled by quarter to one by one employee
Iqbal who gave a trial by riding to the post office a couple of shops
in the south. It was past 12. 45 mid day, that is, less than 40
minutes before the explosions. Then the buyer rode it towards the
Shivaji statue and disappeared. It would be unimaginable for him to
ride all the way to the workshop of Shabbir Masiullah and have the
bombs fitted and then return to the graveyard environs.
Afterwards the investigation agencies and the Home Minister
Chidamrbrum claimed that they had got the addresses where the bombers
had stayed. This is another example of human intelligence whose
absence in the case of 13/7 has created a vacuum.
Even so having said all this is not to say that the guilt has been
proved. The named persons, Aseemanand, Sunil Joshi, or organizations,
like Abhinav Bharat, have every right to enjoy the benefit of doubt.
They can also be innocent unless proved guilty. Earlier this day NDTV
reported that the agencies have given a clean chit to the 9 Muslims
accused and under detention for the last five years. How wonderful it
would have been if the agencies had done an honest job much earlier or
do the same in the case of the newly alleged right wing extremists,
from outside and within the town!
Today also saw a meeting of the brother of one of the nine accused
with Gangurde, Shaikh Rafiq and Ghatkoper crime branch officer Rathor.
The brother asked havaldar Shaikh Rafiq who had taken away the accused
assuring the scared family that he would return with the accused
within fifteen minutes. The brother asked the havaldar why he has
taken away five years of his brother’s life!
There was no answer.
Sometimes back I accompanied Sanjoy Majumdar, India Representative of
BBC, to the house of that accused there sat the woebegone wife of his.
The grief had aged her and changed the contour of her face. She had
spent just a month with him after their marriage and then her husband
was snatched away. Destiny had played such a cruel joke. What for?
There was no answer.
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http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/nine-muslim-men-in-jail-for-malegaon-blasts-are-innocent-concludes-nia-sources-133209&cp
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