‘Even cops told us we were innocent’

The men who were acquitted said they were tortured and their statements were taken under duress

“Justice prevailed,” said Dr Farogh Iqbal Ahmed Magdumi, after he along with the seven others, were acquitted in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case.

(From left) Dr Salman Farsi, Raees Ahmad Mansuri and Noorul Huda Samsodhoha outside the court on Monday. (Pratham Gokhale)

After they were acquitted, they alleged that Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) implicated them in the case. Raees Ahmad, who was earlier called SIMI agent and a co-conspirator of the blasts, said, “The police came to my residence late at night when I was having dinner with my family and asked me to come with them. They asked me to co-operate and so I went with them. The next day, when I was taken to a court, I learnt I had been accused of orchestrating the blasts.”

“There were time the police would tell us on our faces that they knew we haven’t done anything. They even claimed we were arrested because their local informers told them about our involvement. We are innocent, but were just waiting for the court to declare this which happened today and I am very happy,” said Farogh.

Noorul Huda, who was also arrested by the ATS for his involvement, used his jail term of five-and-half years, to study and has recently appeared for second year MA exams.

“I was working as a labourer in Malegaon and it had been just three months since I was married. I was falsely arrested, but my wife supported me throughout and trusted me. Today, we got justice,” he said.

The accused claimed that they were tortured for 72 hours, as the cops did not let them sleep for days. Huda said, “We had to undergo third-degree torture. We were stripped and beaten up. Even today when I think of it, I can feel the immense pain.”

“We are innocent and this is probably the reason why we could suffer the assault, We were badly beaten up and then given medication to cure us so that we could not accuse the police of torture,” said Farogh.

Ahmed, meanwhile, said, “If the police had to arrest those who were actually involved, the blasts in 2008 would not have taken place. I hope no innocent is ever arrested. We have wasted five-and-a-half years of our life that will never come back.”