Absconding IM men seek Mulayam help

Asadullah too belongs to Azamgarh. Both Junaid and he have been on the run for over three and a half years,and are believed to be in hiding in Uttar Pradesh.

The two men are among 12 alleged IM terrorists for whom the Special Cell of Delhi Police announced rewards on December 30,2008. Junaid carries a reward of Rs 5 lakh; Asadullah,Rs 1 lakh.

The families have reportedly told their contacts in the UP government that Junaid and Asadullah want to surrender in court because they fear they might be intercepted and eliminated in false encounters if they come out of hiding. The families have sought an assurance that the UP Police and anti-terror squad would not arrest and hand them over to the Delhi Police.

Asadullah’s father Dr Javed Akhtar,a leading medical practitioner in Azamgarh city,said,“We (the two families) have sent a letter to Mulayam Singh Yadav seeking his help. We have said in the letter that the Delhi Police framed Azamgarh youths in blast cases after the Batla House encounter. We have requested him to intervene and ensure justice since his party supports the central government.”

Dr Akhtar said that Wasim Ahmed,SP MLA from Gopalpur and Minister of State for Basic Education and Child Nutrition,was helping them in their interactions with the government.

Dr Akhtar said he did not know his son’s whereabouts,and had had no contact with him since 2008. But,“I am waiting for him to surrender before the court. He can get justice only after he faces legal proceedings.”

Members of Junaid’s family refused to speak on the matter.

Nine of the 12 men originally wanted by the Delhi Police are from Azamgarh district. Three — Shahzad alias Pappu,Hakim and Salman — were arrested by the UP ATS and handed over to the Delhi Police Special Cell.

Ariz alias Junaid is also wanted for the blasts in Jaipur,Ahmedabad and Delhi on May 13,July 26 and September 13,2008. Interrogation of IM men is learnt to have revealed his role in the November 2007 blasts at UP courts and in the one at Varanasi’s Sankatmochan temple in March 2006.

Asadullah is wanted only for the 2008 Delhi blasts.

Junaid belongs to Mohalla Baz Bahadur in Azamgarh; Asadullah is from the Ghulam Ka Purwa locality.

The other youths from Azamgarh who carry rewards of Rs 1 lakh each include Mohammad Sajid alias Imam Saab alias Sajid Bada (22),Mohammad Khalid (25) and Dr Shahnawaj,all of Sanjarpur,and Mirza Sadab Baig (25) of Mohalla Raja Sahab ka Qila.