Kin of Kolkata men held for ISI links ostracised by locals

ALLEGEDLY GAVE DOCUMENTS TO ISI

KOLKATA: Seventeen-year old Ashreen Ansari, who is supposed to appear for her Class X exams, has stopped venturing outside her house since November 28. She spends the entire day with her mother in a 5 ftx7 ft room that is attached to a 2 ftx4 ft passage serving as a kitchen and a common bathroom for all the tenants on the floor.

Reason: her father Irshad Ansari (52) and brother Ashfaq (23) were arrested by the Kolkata Special Task Force for ISI links on November 28. Muhammed Jehangir, Ashfaq’s maternal uncle, was also arrested.

The room in the three-storied building of a narrow 139 Ramnagar lane in Garden Reach was once frequented by friends, family members, Trinamool Congress leaders and neighbors.

However, now all have abandoned them and the family is facing a virtual ostracisation by locals.

The accused allegedly supplied documents and maps of the Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers (GRSE), a PSU that builds warships, TOISI. Irshad was the acting president of contractu where as Ashfaq was the general secretary of the ruling party’s students union in Harimohan Ghosh college, Watgunj.

Police have slapped serious sections including those related to waging war against the state against them. “Everyone has abandoned us. When I venture out, people in the neighborhood look at me as if I am a terrorist. I have stopped going to school,” said Ashreen.

She said she could not meet her brother whose birthday was on December 10. “We could not even afford a lawyer. I am told that court can arrange a lawyer for the needy and I am preparing myself for that,” said Ashreen.

Family members said Irshad and Ashfaq were popular lead

“Many people benefitted from my father. We still do not believe that my brother and father could do such a thing. My brother did so many good things for the college as a general secretary of a students’ union. But now everyone including politicians has turned their backs on us,” said Ashreen.

Family members of two other accused — Akhtar Khan and his brother Jafar Khan who were arrested for ISI links by STF on November 14 and 15 in Kolkata — said they were suffering too. “I live in Topsia and my landlord said that I am the sister of terrorists and should move out of my rented apartment as soon as possible,” said Suraiya Begum sister of Akhtar