'Vijay Kumar is a nationalist, not terrorist'

The 'enigmatic' documentary filmmaker Vijay Kumar, 40, who was arrested by the American authorities for being in possession of 'jihadi' material, brass knuckles and undeclared currencies is quite well known among his band of brothers, who go by the name of Patriotic Forum, reports N Gamesh.

"I have known Vijay Kumar for the last five years. He is a nationalist committed for the cause of protecting Indian civilization. He is a well-read scholar," said D C Nath, former special director of the Intelligence Bureau. 

Nath elevated Vijay Kumar to a 'saintly status' by claiming that he has done meditation in the Himalayas and is a spiritual master.

Fellow member of Patriotic Forum I G Khandelwal, a resident of Mumbai, said, "He is not a terrorist. He is patriotic citizen working for the unity of our country." 

Both Nath and Khandelwal said that Vijay Kumar has been creating awareness about jihadi terrorism and whatever the American authorities found on him was a supporting material for his lecture in the US.

"He should not have been carrying excess undeclared cash. The brass knuckles were for his protection, and though it is considered as a weapon in the US, it does not make him a terrorist," said Nath.

He urged all Indians in the US to come to the aid of Kumar, who has now been granted bail.

Throwing more light on Vijay Kumar, Khandelwal said that he belonged to a financially sound Marwari family, who were into real estate business.

He is a bachelor who graduated from Delhi and later shifted to Mumbai.  He operated from an office in Oshiwara, a western Mumbai suburb.

"He shifted his base to Delhi a year ago after his mother's demise," said Khandelwal. 

He added that Vijay Kumar had extended his whole-hearted support to him when he had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the implementation of the hanging sentence to Afzal Guru, the Parliament terrorist attack convict.