Shahbaz has no hand in Jaipur blasts, claims PUCL probe report

Lucknow, Oct 20 (UNI) People's Union for Civil Liberties, Uttar Pradesh chapter and People's Union for Human Rights said Shahbaz Ahmed, arrested in the Jaipur blast case, was innocent and implicated by the Rajasthan police just for his association with the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India(SIMI) in the past.

PUCL and PUHR in its probe report said there was no evidence against Shahbaz, who was arrested from Lucknow on August 26, except for identification by the cyber-cafe owner of Sahibabad in Ghazaibad district, from where it was alleged that he sent emails on May 13 claiming the responsibility of the Jaipur serial blasts.

'' Shahbaz is associated with SIMI in the past, but after his marriage in 2002 and ban imposed on the outfit, he did not have any relationship with any type of organisation. Besides this, he is not a religious minded person and is even very modern,'' the report said. A six-member team, comprising retired IPS S R Darapur, Social Activist Sandeep Pandey, retired IPS S M Naseem, retired IAS J A Khan, senior advocate Mohammed Saif Babar and social activist Syed Moid Ahmed, investigated the matter and submitted their report today.

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Darapuri and Mr Pandey said they would submit their report and conclusion in the court at Jaipur where the trial of Shahbaz was underway for release.

Stating several lapses on the part of the police, which proves that they had implicated Shahbaz in the Jaipur blasts case, the report said the claim of Rajasthan police of seizure of a laptop from Shahbaz and heavy amount in his bank account proved to be total false.

''The claim of the police that Shahbaz is in Shahibabad between May 10 to 13 also proved wrong as there were several calls from the landline telephone of a computer centre run by him in Lucknow to other places of the country. The people, who had received the calls, have also identified that it is Shahbaz who called them,'' the report said.

Mr Pandey said that now PUCL, UP chapter would take up the case of Abu Basar, who has been arrested in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case.

'' It is very unfortunate that innocent people are being implicated in the name of terrorism by the police and the main culprits still go scot free,'' he said.

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