By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
The morning of August 29th 2012 brought a sea of change in the life of Muthi ur Rehman Siddqui journalist with Deccan Herald. Overnight from a reporter of a reputed newspaper he became a terror recruiter and a mastermind. Central Crime Branch raided his house and arrested him along with four of his friends.
Next day he was declared the "mastermind" of an alleged plot to assassinate Right wing Hindu journalists, and politicians. Nearly 15 Muslim youths with excellent professional background were arrested from Bangalore, Hubli and Hyderabad. Bangalore CCB claimed that arrested youths were HuJI, and LeT militants, who got training in Pakistan with support from ISI and now carrying their operations in India by orders of their handlers in Saudi Arabia. The Times of India declared Muthi ur Rehman as terrorists and carried a headline ‘scribe the mastermind’.
Now for utter shame of biased media and Bangalore police, NIA which took the case two months ago found nothing against Muthi ur Rehman and one other accused Yusuf Nalaband and dropped all charges against them.
Muthi ur Rehman Siddqiui’s image of walking out of jail became one more example of biased and irresponsible system that we live in, and how it has become a trend for media and the police to brand innocent Muslims as terror masterminds for some cheap ratings.
Muthi ur Rehman Siddiqui talked to TwoCircles.net and spoke about his arrest, interrogation, life in jail, support he received, and finally experiencing firsthand the much heard Muslim victimization.
Q. Bangalore CCB claimed that you were leader of a terror assassin gang, and arrested you with your other roommates, police said they got tip off on you, when they apprehended two people on their way for assassin mission. What is your version of those arrests?
A. Everything they documented about our arrest is false; they said in their FIR that they arrested two people who were on their way to assassinate someone. From them they got our address and raided our house at afternoon 12:30 p.m.
But the truth is police raided our house at 9 in the morning, the residents of JB nagar lodged a complaint on our kidnapping, that complain is an evidence that i along with four of my friends were arrested at 9 in the morning. All of us living in that house were professionals we all have to leave for work by 10, if police would had raided our house at afternoon they couldn’t have find anyone there.
And no one in their right sense can call it an arrest; we all seriously thought that some hooligans came to kidnap us. They barge in our room, started slapping us and were forcing us to wear our skull caps before taking us out of our house. Even till they took us to their station we didn’t know we were arrested by police. For two days we were kept in dark on the charges under we were arrested for.
Q. How was your life in police custody then subsequently in prison?
A. Fortunately I wasn’t tortured physically by interrogators, but they did torture me mentally. During my interrogation they asked personal religious questions, I was interrogated by many security agencies and police from different states.
But yes others arrested youngsters with me were tortured, which I cannot describe, (but speaking to Tehelka magazine Muthi ur Rehman did described torture of other inmates, he said “The other accused were tortured. One of them was beaten, hung upside down, and petrol was poured over his genitals. Nerves to his legs have been permanently damaged and he can no longer walk straight. And another accused, Obaid-ur- Rehman (from Hyderabad), had his index finger broken during interrogation. They were also subjected to electric shocks on their genitals.”)
Life in jail was like a nightmare came true, now I can feel the pain of hundreds of other innocent Muslim youths who are languishing in jail due to sloppy trails.
Q. Do you feel you got justice?
A. Yes justice has been done, but delayed for sure. Police case was bogus from its very beginning. The story of our arrest was itself was counterfeit; this case had to fall down. I am grateful to Allah and all those people who supported me. I pray for my other friends for their early release.
Q. who came to your support at perhaps most difficult time of your life?
A. My colleagues from Deccan Herald supported me in their individual capacity, my arrest obviously came as big shock for them. They gave me all the moral support which was required. Student Islamic Organization of India which I am its member was also very supportive and stood by me. They tried their best to provide me legal aid through Association for the Protection of Civil Rights their sister legal aid organization.
Q. You are a journalist, must have seen functioning of media closely, what is your take on the reporting done by media after your arrest?
A. To describe it in one word, it was irresponsible. I seriously thought they forgot their ethics. They forgot the ABC of Journalism, i.e. Accuracy, Brevity, and Clarity. Many media outlets baring few exceptions were for sure not objective in their reporting. Some even indulged in my character assassination.
Q. Why do you think Bangalore police targeted you?
A. This question will be better if ask to the police themselves. I still don’t know their intention, I am clueless. Nobody should go through this police mad witch hunt which I had suffered.
Q. What lesson did you learnfrom this entire episode?
A. I learned to be more careful, and serious about my life. Youngsters should not take life inconsequentially. Even remotest of remote connection with some guy, could make you languish in jail.
Q. Any message you want to give to the police who presented you as terror master mind, and to the biased media which propagated it and to the society which accepted and took it for face value?
A. Police and media should be sensitive towards terrorism. Police and Media should be more sensitive towards downtrodden, people from oppressed communities like Muslims and Dalit’s. They should not play with the lives of youngsters, and try to destroy their character. Police should think hundred times before booking some innocent under draconian law like UAPA. Media should not sensationalize every terror arrest without even cross checking it.
In the same way society too has to be vigilant and sensitive towards these issues. They should not buy police theories on face value. Society should understand that mere arrest by police doesn’t make you a terrorist.