Absolved of terror charges, Muthi-ur-Rahman walks free

Bangalore, Feb 26: After a six-month ordeal of being branded terrorists and charged with waging a war against the state, two of the fifteen arrested suspects, journalist Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui and Syed Yusuf?Nalaband walked to freedom late Monday night.

The Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday issued a detailed written order on the release of the two men accused of involvement in the Bangalore terror module case.

The NIA had earlier dropped all the charges against the two saying it had found no prosecutable evidence against them.

Justice Somnath R Sindhagi issued detailed written orders regarding the release of the Siddiqui and Nalaband by?5:15 pm on Monday. However, by the time the orders reached Parappana Agrahara Central Prisons, it was 7 pm. After a wait of three hours, Siddiqui and Nalaband were released by 10 pm, greeted by the media, activists and journalists.

An emotional Siddiqui termed his experience a terrible ordeal and said it should not happen to anybody ever again. He said that if he, who had been branded the mastermind of the terror conspiracy, was acquitted honourably, he hoped that all the other friends arrested along with him would also walk free one day.

“I hope nobody goes through what I did. Only I know the pain I went through,” Siddiqui told media persons as he was surrounded by a jubilant group comprising his colleagues from the daily as well as journalists from other newspapers who had shared the beat with him.

He said he had confidence in the judiciary and thanked the Almighty, those who stood by him during the difficult time and the activists of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights who fought his case from Day One.

Nalaband said he was greatly relieved after his release from the prison. Meanwhile, the prosecution will deliver the copy of the charge sheet on Tuesday after blacking out the identities of the eight witnesses. The case will come up for hearing at the NIA?Special Court on Tuesday.

Related:

Muthi-ur-Rahman will continue his journalism career: Family