Clash with Gujarat police: Three sentenced
The court also allowed the plea and granted bail to the three convicts
Hyderabad: The Nampally criminal court on Tuesday sentenced three accused in the case of clashing with the Gujarat police in front of the DGP office in 2004. The court acquitted two people including, Moutasim Billah, who has now been accused of promising to send two youngsters for Al Qaeda training.
The sessions court sentenced Yaser Baleequddin and Jaber, (sons of cleric and chief of Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Sha'air-e-Islam Maulana Mohammad Naseeruddin), and another accused named Shhafiq, to two-year imprisonment. However, defence lawyers sought suspension of the order. The court also allowed the plea and granted bail to the three convicts.
“Three of them have been granted bail on two sureties of Rs 10,000 each,” said their counsel Mohd. Azim. The court convicted the trio after finding them guilty under the Indian Penal Code Sections 332 (causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and Section 147 (rioting).
During the trial the court found that Moutasim Billah and Mohd Shakeel were not involved in the action and the charges against them were false. Moutasim Billah was 16-years-old when the incident took place at the DGP office.
When the Gujarat police came to Hyderabad to arrest Maulana Mohammad Naseeruddin, who was accused of criminal conspiracy, a mob of his followers clashed withe the police. They allegedly pelted stones and attacked the cops near the DGP office in order to thwart the arrest attempts of the Gujarat police.
In retaliation, the Gujarat police opened fire killing Moutasim’s brother Mujahid. who died on the spot. Following the incident, the Gujarat police filed a complaint with the Saifabad police.
Father: Cops harassed son ever since his teens
Even as Moutasim Billa’s family members welcomed the Nampally court’s judgment, they added that the judgement was incomplete. Moutasim’s father Maulana Abdul Aleem Islahi questioned how the court convicted accused number 13, 14, and 35, while acquitting accused number 10 and 12.
He said that justice has not been done in the 2004 case of his son’s murder. Ahmedabad assistant commissioner of police Narender Kumar had allegedly fired and killed his son, Mujahid Saleem, near the DGP office.
“Though the Saifabad police issued an FIR booking a murder case, so far, no action has been taken in the case. Even when the police officer was brought to Hyderabad to identify the accused in another case, police did not touch him,” he said.
Billa’s family members also alleged that the Hyderabad police had been harassing the young man since the time he was just 16 years old.