IM terrorists accuse authorities of harassment

Suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists, accused of carrying out serial blasts in the national capital in 2008, told a Delhi court on Tuesday that they were being harassed and beaten up at a jail in Ahmedabad.

"We are constantly harassed, taunted and beaten up. Even if we complain to the higher authorities, they do not take any action in the matter," Mobin Kader Seikh said. Seikh, along with Asif Bashir Seikh and Mohammed Sakeel made the charges before Additional Sessions Judge Santosh Snehi Mann during the proceedings in the serial blast cases conducted through video-conferencing from the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad.

The jail authorities denied the charges and submitted that an inquiry was going on into the allegations made by them. The three accused further alleged that one of their associates Dr Mirza Ahmed Beg was beaten up by a head constable inside the prison in a move to threaten us. The court directed the Sabarmati jail authorities to file a status report and an action taken report by March 6. The court adjourned proceedings relating to arguments on charges in the five cases registered in connection with the serial blasts in the capital on September 13, 2008 which killed 26 persons and injured over 135 others.

The court's adjournment was sought by special public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan on the ground that Shahzad, one of the accused arrested recently, is at present in police custody till March 25.Out of the 13 arrested accused, 11 are lodged in the Sabarmati jail while another suspect Mohammed Hakim is in Tihar jail. A court had recently allowed the Delhi Police Special Cell to keep Shahzad, arrested from Uttar Pradesh on February 1, in their custody for interrogation till February 25.

Mohammed Saif, Zeeshan Ahmed, Mohammed Shakeel, Zia-ur Rehman, Saquib Nissar, Quamuddin Kapadia and Mohd Sadiq Sheikh, who have been chargesheeted in blasts cases are in Ahmedabad. Mansoor Asghar Peerbhoy, Mobin Kader Sheikh, Akbar Ismail Chaudhary and Asif Basir Sheikh, who are accused of sending terror emails to different media houses minutes before the serial blasts, have also been taken to Ahmedabad.