“I am not absconding, I am here”

Hyderabad: Even as Hyderabad police maintains two Muslim youth from Maharashtra who were caught for plans to travel to Afghanistan for armed training, had links with a Telangana youth, the latter has denied the charge saying he was very much in Hyderabad.

Motasim Billah, son of a cleric had been declared by the city police as absconding, but Billah called a media conference at home to deny the police statements. “I have invited you to show that I am very much at home leading a normal life and attending college”, he said. “I am also regularly appearing before courts in cases slapped on me by the police as part of their continuing harassment”.

Billah said the police had fabricated the story of his links with Mudassir and Shoeb from Maharashtra with an ulterior motive. “by framing another case against me they are trying to influence the judgement of another case which is due shortly”, he said.

While arresting the two youth, Hyderabad police had claimed they were in touch with Billah over Facebook and the latter had exhorted them to go Afghanistan. Police also claimed recovering jihadi literature from them.

Billah and his family, a resident of a lower middle class area of old city, had hit headlines about ten years ago when his elder brother Mujahed was shot dead by Gujrat police in Hyderabad city. The incident had occurred when the Gujrat team had come to arrest another cleric Moulana Naseeruddin and his supporters had staged a protest. Mujahed was shot dead near the state director general of police office.

Though a murder case was booked against Gujrat police official Narhari Ameen, the case did not make progress. At the same time police also booked an attempt to murder case against Motasim and many others. Since then his name has also figured in other cases.

“Police is now saying I promised to provide financial assistance to the Maharashtra youth. The fact is I don’t have money even to pay my college fees”, said Billah who is doing his post-graduation in engineering from Osamnia University.

Billah’s father Moulana Islahi broke down while alleging mental torture and harassment of his family by police. “They have fabricated this new story to exploit the present international situation”, he said.

Reacting to reports the police recovered a book from the Maharashtra youth called Jihad Kya Hai? (What is Jihad) allegedly authored by Islahi, he challenged the police to show even one copy. “I have not written any such book”, he said.