Kin of Kashmiri boys held in Deoband deny JEM link

SRINAGAR:FAMILY members of two boys from south Kashmir, who were arrested by the anti terrorist squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh, on Friday said they were in Deoband for religious studies and had no links with Jaish-e-mohammed (JEM) or militancy.

The ATS had earlier claimed to have busted a terror module of JEM and arrested Auqib Ahmad Malik and Shahnawaz Teli in a midnight raid conducted at Deoband in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The ATS claimed that the raids were conducted with the help from state police.

The family members of Auqib came to know about arrest when neighbours reached his house with video clips of the raid circulating online. “I spoke to my son yesterday (Thursday) around 4 pm and he was happy,’’ said Hajira Begum, mother of Aquib, who lives at Chandgam village, 7 km from Pulwama town.

“When the CRPF convoy was attacked at Lethpora in Pulwama on February 14, my son was not here. He had gone to Deoband two months ago for higher religious studies. My son is innocent and has nothing to do with militancy. He should be released as has been targeted for being a Kashmiri student,” she said.

Aquib’s elder brother Rayees Ahmad Malik, who works in his field, said soon after they came to know about the arrest they contacted the local police. “My brother is a Hafiz (one who learns Koran by heart) and had gone to Deoband to pursue religious studies. There is not a single case of militancy or stone pelting registered against him. He is a simple boy who wants to excel in religious studies,’’ Rayees said.

Even the family members of Teli, described by the ATS as grenade expert, denied that he had any links with the militancy. “My brother had been in UP since 2017 and after completing his bachelors in arts he went for Fazil course in Deoband seminary,’’ said Teli’s brother Waqar Ahmad.jammu and Kashmir police remained tightlipped over the arrests.