‘I met terror suspect’s kin on humanitarian grounds’

Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi on Saturday said he met the family of a suspect held last week for planning terror attacks in the city on humanitarian grounds.

Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi on Saturday said he met the family of a suspect held last week for planning terror attacks in the city on humanitarian grounds. He alleged that he was being singled out and targeted for no reason.

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“I met the family of [terror suspect] Riyaz Ali on humanitarian grounds, after a request from my party corporator in Bandra. I am a people’s representative and expected to do that. There is nothing wrong in meeting families,” he said.

“After the arrest of Malegaon blast accused sadhvi Pragya Singh (Thakur) and Colonel (Shrikant) Purohit, BJP leader L.K. Advani too had met the prime minister on the issue. Shiv Sena had also organised protests to admit the sadhvi in hospital while she was under arrest, then why is only my image being maligned in media?” he asked.

Declining to comment when asked if he thought Ali was innocent, Azmi said he is ready to face any police inquiry.

On Home Minister R.R. Patil’s remarks that he will probe Azmi’s intention behind meeting Shahzad, who was arrested in connection with the 2008 Delhi blast case and the Batla House encounter, Azmi said: “I have neither seen nor met Shahzad. I knew his father and met him 20 years back in Saudi Arabia.”

He indicated that Hindu organisations may be behind the Pune German Bakery blast.