Bangalore, Feb 21: A journalist with Deccan Herald English daily and a scientist with Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), who were arrested last year by Bangalore police along with more than a dozen Muslim youth in a controversial anti-terror operation, have been kept out of the chargesheet filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the case on Wednesday for lack of evidence.
Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui
Hubli based Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui (26) working for Deccan Herald in Bangalore, and Aijaz Ahmed Mirza (25) a junior research scientist in DRDO, were arrested along with 16 others spread across Bangalore, Hubli, Hyderabad and Maharashtra on controversial charge of allegedly plotting to kill Kannada journalists and political leaders linked with right-wing Hindu organizations.
Apart from these two, two other arrested youth-Syed Yusuf Nalaband and Syed Tanzeem- have been kept out of the chargesheet.
The NIA chargesheet, however, has been filed against only 12 men including one Zakir who is absconding. Of the 12, one is from Nanded in Maharashtra while others are from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. A total of 25 youth are being investigated in the case.
"The agency is hoping to get more information from Zakir when he gets arrested. As of now, it does not have evidence against the DRDO scientist and the journalist," said an official privy to the investigations.
According to the chargesheet, the group was being handled and supported from Saudi Arabia by Farhatullah Ghori, maternal uncle of slain Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HuJI) operative Shahid Bilal hailing from Hyderabad.
The chargesheet also said that two of those arrested, Dr Zafar Iqbal Sholapur and Abdul Hakim Jamadar had even travelled to Pakistan and met Ghori. The duo first went to Iran and then made a 50-hour road trip to Pakistan in January-February 2012, the chargesheet said.
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