Mateen Hafeez TNN
Mumbai: While the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is on the verge of completing its probe into the 2006 Malegaon blasts, the suspects in the case are likely to file a fresh bail application within a few days.
During its investigation, the NIA found that the accused were wrongly implicated in the case and that rightwing groups are allegedly responsible for the blasts.
The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) had initially booked nine Muslim youths claiming they were SIMI members. The ATS filed a chargesheet only within 54 days, even though it had 180 days to do the same. Later, the case was transferred to the CBI.
“We are filing a bail application within a day or two,” said Gulzar Azmi, general secretary of the Jamiatul Ulema (legal cell). He added that the Malegaon youths are currently in Gujarat where they are being subjected to narcoanalysis tests. “We have been saying that the youths are framed in the case. We hope they will secure bail,” added Azmi.Earlier, the CBI had found that slain RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi along with an associate had visited Malegaon in July 2006 and conducted a recce. They also wanted to carry out a terror strike in July, however, their plan did not materialize. Samjhauta train blast accused Swami Aseemannd also confessed that his men engineered the Malegaon blasts. “We have submitted all documents to the NIA,” said advocate Irfana Hamdani, who is representing the youths. Four RDX bombs planted near a cemetery in Malegaon went off on September 8, 2006, killing 31 persons.
MALEGAON BLASTS
• The ATS had said SIMI engineered the 2006 Malegaon blasts that killed 31
• Zahid Majeed, a suspect, was in Malegaon to plant the bomb, the ATS claimed. However, witnesses filed an affidavit stating he was 500 km away in Yavatmal
The Times of India, September 16, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Malegaon ka superhero gets last wish, dies
Mateen Hafeez & Bharati Dubey I TNN
Mumbai: Shafique Shaikh, the cancer stricken M a l e g a o n man who starred in
M a l e ga o n Ka Superman, had one last wish: to see his film’s release before his death. The film was released on Tuesday evening and he died on Wednesday morning after watching the final cut. Shaikh (23), father of two, was diagnosed with cancer last year and was being treated at Tata Memorial Hospital.
Nasir Khan, director of the film, said, “Shaikh’s last wish was to watch the film in a cinema hall. He was going through a tough time and we decided to organize a premiere at 6 pm on Tuesday. At 6 am on Wednesday, Shaikh died.” Shaikh was buried at Malegaon’s Bada Qabrastan (cemetery) around 2 pm on Wednesday. Thousands attended the funeral.
“On our request, film-maker Anurag Kashyap and several other Bollywood personalities had come to watch the premiere. Shaikh was brought to Central cinema in a news channel van and taken inside on a stretcher. Though he could not speak, we saw him smiling everytime the audience clapped,” said Khan.
“After the film, the audience shook hands with the actor and congratulated him. He was taken home afterwards. Late at night, he felt acute pain and was breathless in the morning,” said Akram Khan, a unit member who played villain in the film. The spoof, where ‘Superman’ fights the menace of tobacco, was scheduled for a December release. Shaikh, a resident of Gulab Park in Malegaon, used to chew around 40 packets of gutka a day.
“Our movie is against the menace of tobacco. Sadly, our lead hero fell prey to it,” said a unit member.
“Actor Deepti Bhatnagar (producer of Malegaon Ka Chintu) footed the bill for Shaikh’s treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital,” the unit member added. Producer Sunil Bohra, who plans to have a theatrical release of the film in November, told TOI, “We will take care of his wife and children. We have asked his family to open a bank account and we will send them money on a regular basis.’’
The Times of India, September 8, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
‘Patil must quit for Malegaon blasts arrests’
Mateen Hafeez TNN
Mumbai: While NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s statement that Muslim youths arrested for the 2006 Malegaon blasts are innocent was welcomed by a major section of the community, NGOs and lawyers working to secure bail for them demanded party leader R R Patil’s resignation.
Pawar who attended an iftar party at Haj House on Saturday said, “I know that the boys arrested for the Malegaon blasts are innocent. I was the first person to say it one-and-a-half years ago.” Referring to Samjhauta train blast accused Swami Aseemand’s confession, he said, “The real culprits, some of whom have admitted to their crime, should be arrested.”
Reacting to the comment, Fareed Batatawala of Muslim Front said, “When he (Pawar) knows that the boys are innocent, why is he not doing anything for their release? He should seek an explanation from Patil and if needed Patil must resign. We also demand ATS and Malegaon police officials concerned should be suspended.”
The Times of India, August 223, 2011
Mumbai: While NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s statement that Muslim youths arrested for the 2006 Malegaon blasts are innocent was welcomed by a major section of the community, NGOs and lawyers working to secure bail for them demanded party leader R R Patil’s resignation.
Pawar who attended an iftar party at Haj House on Saturday said, “I know that the boys arrested for the Malegaon blasts are innocent. I was the first person to say it one-and-a-half years ago.” Referring to Samjhauta train blast accused Swami Aseemand’s confession, he said, “The real culprits, some of whom have admitted to their crime, should be arrested.”
Reacting to the comment, Fareed Batatawala of Muslim Front said, “When he (Pawar) knows that the boys are innocent, why is he not doing anything for their release? He should seek an explanation from Patil and if needed Patil must resign. We also demand ATS and Malegaon police officials concerned should be suspended.”
The Times of India, August 223, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Team to probe ways to bail out Malegaon blasts accused
MUSLIM DELEGATION MEETS R R PATIL
Mateen Hafeez TNN
Mumbai: A delegation of Muslim activists, clerics, advocates and workers from several NGOs met home minister R R Patil at Mantralaya on Thursday and demanded the release of nine men arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case.
Patil agreed to form a team of Muslims lawyers, a national investigation agency (NIA) public prosecutor and the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) officer who had filed the first chargesheet in the blasts case. “The team will look into what can be done
to bail these boys out,” said Fareed Batatawala of the Muslim Front. The delegation also told Patil that the Muslim community was angry with the government’s way of handling this case. “When Swami Aseemanand has confessed his role in the blasts, why are the Muslim boys not being released?” asked Batatawala.
To build pressure on the government, a delegation of Muslim MLAs from the state, led by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, on Wednesday, met union home minister P Chidambaram. Maharashtra minority affair and Waqf minister Naseem Khan along with MLAs Baba Siddiqui, Aslam Shaikh, Ameen Patel and film-maker Mahesh Bhatt insisted that the government should be fair in delivering justice to minorities. Chidambaram assured the delegation that injustice will not be done to minorities.
The Times of India, August 19, 2011
Mateen Hafeez TNN
Mumbai: A delegation of Muslim activists, clerics, advocates and workers from several NGOs met home minister R R Patil at Mantralaya on Thursday and demanded the release of nine men arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case.
Patil agreed to form a team of Muslims lawyers, a national investigation agency (NIA) public prosecutor and the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) officer who had filed the first chargesheet in the blasts case. “The team will look into what can be done
to bail these boys out,” said Fareed Batatawala of the Muslim Front. The delegation also told Patil that the Muslim community was angry with the government’s way of handling this case. “When Swami Aseemanand has confessed his role in the blasts, why are the Muslim boys not being released?” asked Batatawala.
To build pressure on the government, a delegation of Muslim MLAs from the state, led by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, on Wednesday, met union home minister P Chidambaram. Maharashtra minority affair and Waqf minister Naseem Khan along with MLAs Baba Siddiqui, Aslam Shaikh, Ameen Patel and film-maker Mahesh Bhatt insisted that the government should be fair in delivering justice to minorities. Chidambaram assured the delegation that injustice will not be done to minorities.
The Times of India, August 19, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
‘Malegaon ka Superman’ Eid release a gift for actor
PERSONAL CAUSE: Shafique, who fights the tobacco scourge in the film, was a gutka addict
Leading Man Is In Advanced Stage Of Cancer
Mateen Hafeez | TNN
Mumbai: Anxious over Malegaon ka Superman’s deteriorating health due to cancer, the film’s director and producers have decided to release the movie on the occasion of Eid. The spoof, where ‘Superman’ fights the menace of tobacco, was scheduled for a December release. However, it will now be released in three weeks as an “Eidi” (Eid gift) for Shaikh Shafique, the 23-year-old lead actor.
Shafique, a residentof Gulab Park in Malegaon, used to chew around 40 packets of gutka a day. He was admitted toTata MemorialCancer Hospital last year where he underwent treatment for cancer. Today, though, he is said to be in an advanced stage of theillness. The movie’s director, Nasir Khan Prince, said that it is “very tough” for the unit to see Shafique in such pain.
“We aredoing our best. We admitted him to Mumbai’s Tata Hospital and the entire billwas paidby actressDeepti Bhatnagar (who is a producer of the television programme Malegaon Ka Chintu). He underwent an operation and is currently at home,” said Prince.
“Our movie is against the menace of tobacco. Sadly, our lead hero fell victim to it,” said Prince. Fed up with his condition, Shafique even “tried to kill himself” on two occasions.
Shafique had been chewing tobacco and gutka since the age of 13. He got married when he was 19 and his wife, Jameela, was just 17. The couple has two daughters; a three-year-old and a twomonth-old. Today, he can’t eat spicy food and his jaw is very sensitive to the temperature of any food. He finds it difficult to even speak.
The 2009 low-budget Malegaon ka Superman was screened at IFFI in Goa in December 2010. It has won awards at film festivals in Los Angeles, Prague, Italy and Pakistan. Shafique, who played ‘Superman’ in the movie, had earlier played various roles in other films made in Malegaon. The Class-VIIdropouthas actedin Khandesh to Goa, Khandesh ki Baraat, Khandesh ka Qarazdar Master, Malegaon ki Lagaan and Khandesh ka Doctor, among such others.
The Times of India, August 16, 2011
’06 Malegaon blasts case accused kin allege bias
Mateen Hafeez TNN
Mumbai: Though chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had promised to discuss the arrests in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts with Union home minister P Chidambram, the relatives of the accused feel the state is dragging its feet over their plight.
Wives of nine suspects said the government is ignoring their demands since they belong to the minority community. “Though my husband was arrested and charged with conspiracy in the 2006 Malegaon blasts, there is no evidence against him,” claimed Aafiya, wife of Farogh Makhdoomi. Makhdoomi and eight others were arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for planning and executing three blasts in a Muslim cemetery and another blast at a chowk. “The case was first probed by the local police then handed over to the ATS. Later, the same case was transferred to the CBI which sat on the investigation for four years and did not try to find out the truth. In January this year, a fresh CBI team took over the probe. In April this year, the Union home ministry ordered the National Investigation Agency to investigate the case. So far five agencies have changed in one case. Are the government and the investigating agencies making a mockery of the judicial system?” Aafiya asked.
In January this year, Swami Aseemanand, arrested in connection with the Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast case, reportedly confessed before a magistrate that “his men had engineered the 2006 Malegaon blasts”.
After the Aseemanand’s arrest in the Hyderabad masjid blast case, another suspect, Shaikh Kaleemuddin, who was arrested by the police in Hyderabad, was released based on Aseemanand’s confession. “When the AP government can release Kaleemuddin after the truth was revealed, why has my husband been kept in jail for five years?” asked Qamar Jahan, wife of another suspect. Advocate Irfana Hamdani said, “We have provided all details to the investigators but they are sitting on our report. It’s not just a case of justice delayed but justice denied.”
The Times of India, August 16, 2011
Mumbai: Though chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had promised to discuss the arrests in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts with Union home minister P Chidambram, the relatives of the accused feel the state is dragging its feet over their plight.
Wives of nine suspects said the government is ignoring their demands since they belong to the minority community. “Though my husband was arrested and charged with conspiracy in the 2006 Malegaon blasts, there is no evidence against him,” claimed Aafiya, wife of Farogh Makhdoomi. Makhdoomi and eight others were arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for planning and executing three blasts in a Muslim cemetery and another blast at a chowk. “The case was first probed by the local police then handed over to the ATS. Later, the same case was transferred to the CBI which sat on the investigation for four years and did not try to find out the truth. In January this year, a fresh CBI team took over the probe. In April this year, the Union home ministry ordered the National Investigation Agency to investigate the case. So far five agencies have changed in one case. Are the government and the investigating agencies making a mockery of the judicial system?” Aafiya asked.
In January this year, Swami Aseemanand, arrested in connection with the Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast case, reportedly confessed before a magistrate that “his men had engineered the 2006 Malegaon blasts”.
After the Aseemanand’s arrest in the Hyderabad masjid blast case, another suspect, Shaikh Kaleemuddin, who was arrested by the police in Hyderabad, was released based on Aseemanand’s confession. “When the AP government can release Kaleemuddin after the truth was revealed, why has my husband been kept in jail for five years?” asked Qamar Jahan, wife of another suspect. Advocate Irfana Hamdani said, “We have provided all details to the investigators but they are sitting on our report. It’s not just a case of justice delayed but justice denied.”
The Times of India, August 16, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Wife of Malegaon blast suspect seeks divorce
Mateen Hafeez, TNN
MUMBAI: Jannatun Nisa, wife of 2006 Malegaon bomb blast suspect, Abrar Ahmed, has approached the Sharia court in Malegaon for Khula (Islamic practice of women seeking divorce).
In her letter, Nisastated that she is fed up of tolerating people making sarcastic remarks against her while her in-laws said that she was trying to escape questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Nisa, who is a resident of Malegaon's Fort area, wrote a letter to Qazi
Abdul Ahad Azhari, the chief qazi (judge) for Maharashtra under the sharia law, seeking separation (khula).
"It has been five years since my husband was arrested. My in-laws ill-treat me and I am suffering for no fault of mine. People term me as a police informer's wife and I have been staying with my brothers since Ahmed's arrest. Looking at the current situation, I have decided to seek khula and stay with my brothers," Nisa stated in her one-page letter.
Ahmed was arrested in 2006 by the Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly being one of the blast conspirators. In the chargesheet filed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, he has been shown as one of the bomb planters. He went missing along with his wife after the blasts and was finally traced and produced in the court by the police when a habeas corpus petition was filed by Ahmed's elder brother, advocate Jaleel Ansari. Ahmed had given a confessional statement before a deputy commissioner but later retracted it saying that it was given under duress. He has, in an affidavit to the court, stated that he was framed by an IPS officer and his cronies.
Ansari said, "Nisa is trying to escape the interrogation by the NIA since she knows how my brother was wrongly implicated in the case. Now we are hoping NIA will question her and that is why she is scared." Nisa could not be contacted.
The Times of India, July 18, 2011
MUMBAI: Jannatun Nisa, wife of 2006 Malegaon bomb blast suspect, Abrar Ahmed, has approached the Sharia court in Malegaon for Khula (Islamic practice of women seeking divorce).
In her letter, Nisastated that she is fed up of tolerating people making sarcastic remarks against her while her in-laws said that she was trying to escape questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Nisa, who is a resident of Malegaon's Fort area, wrote a letter to Qazi
Abdul Ahad Azhari, the chief qazi (judge) for Maharashtra under the sharia law, seeking separation (khula).
"It has been five years since my husband was arrested. My in-laws ill-treat me and I am suffering for no fault of mine. People term me as a police informer's wife and I have been staying with my brothers since Ahmed's arrest. Looking at the current situation, I have decided to seek khula and stay with my brothers," Nisa stated in her one-page letter.
Ahmed was arrested in 2006 by the Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly being one of the blast conspirators. In the chargesheet filed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, he has been shown as one of the bomb planters. He went missing along with his wife after the blasts and was finally traced and produced in the court by the police when a habeas corpus petition was filed by Ahmed's elder brother, advocate Jaleel Ansari. Ahmed had given a confessional statement before a deputy commissioner but later retracted it saying that it was given under duress. He has, in an affidavit to the court, stated that he was framed by an IPS officer and his cronies.
Ansari said, "Nisa is trying to escape the interrogation by the NIA since she knows how my brother was wrongly implicated in the case. Now we are hoping NIA will question her and that is why she is scared." Nisa could not be contacted.
The Times of India, July 18, 2011
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