‘Cops are harassing our relatives now’
The family members of Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, a freelance journalist who was arrested by the Delhi Police on March 7 in connection with the Israel Embassy car bombing last month, denied giving shelter to any Iranian national who could have been involved in the attack. HT reports.
The family members of Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, a freelance journalist who was arrested by the Delhi Police on March 7 in connection with the Israel Embassy car bombing last month, denied giving shelter to any Iranian national who could have been involved in the attack.
The journalist’s son, Shauzab Kazmi, an MBA student, said that the police were lying about his father’s involvement. “No one had come from Iran to stay at our house as the police are claiming. If they have any evidence, they should produce it,” he said.
The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested Kazmi on charges of “aiding” the persons who planted the sticky bomb on a vehicle owned by the Israeli Embassy. Four persons, including the wife of Israeli Embassy’s defence attache Tel Yehoshua-Koren (42), were wounded in the attack at Aurangzeb Road on February 13. Kazmi was arrested from his house near Karbala in South Delhi’s BK Dutt Colony. The police had taken away a black scooty parked inside the house in connection with the case.
Shauzab said that his father was picked up at 11.30am on March 6 but arrested only late in the night.
“They brought him home at 9.30pm, searched the house, picked up his laptop, his Press Information Bureau accreditation card, his passport and a black scooty parked in our yard,” he said.
Shauzab alleged that the police searched the house for over three hours and forced the family to sign the arrest memo to show Kazmi was caught from the house late at night while he was already in custody for over 10 hours.
Turab Kazmi, the youngest son, alleged that the police were harassing other relatives too. “The Scooty was parked for two years. It was not being used. A relative had bought it when he was living with us two years ago and had left it behind. We have the registration papers of the vehicle and we don’t know why the police have taken it away,” Turab said.
“Now, our relatives are receiving calls from the police to join the probe,” Shauzab said.
Kazmi, a native of Meerut, came to Delhi with his family nearly 25 years ago. Earlier, they lived in Welcome area of northeast Delhi. Eight years ago, the Kazmis bought a house near Karbala (a Shia shrine) and have lived here since then. Kazmi’s is the only Muslim family living in the area.