TEACHER WHO ‘RADICALISED’ YOUTH TO JOIN ISIS DENIED BAIL

MUMBAI: A special court under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) recently rejected the bail plea of Raisuddin Siddique, a teacher from Parbhani, who allegedly radicalised local youths to join the Islamic State (ISIS). It observed “there is evidence to show that the group from Parbhani had conspired to commit unlawful activities against nonbelievers of Islam” while turning down the plea.

Siddique was one of the group members arrested by Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) in August 2016. The agency had arrested Naseen Bin alias Chaus, Shahid Khan and Iqbal Ahmed Kabir Ahmed along with Siddique. It was alleged the accused had conspired to carry out strikes at Aurangabad police headquarters and at a senior IPS officer’s residence.

After ATS, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) took over the case last year. After the case was transferred to a court in Mumbai, Siddique submitted his bail plea in December 2018.

Siddique’s lawyer had argued that just being part of the group did not mean he was a criminal. But the court ruled out the arguments observing “on the perusal of the statements of the witnesses, it is found that the accused and others had committed criminal conspiracy with a view to take revenge against the atrocities committed upon the Islam and that they used to discuss about beef ban, Dadri incident, Muzaffar incident, Gujarat Riot etc, and used to discuss about the solution of such incidents, goes to suggest that the accused was having knowledge or the intention that the terrorist activities would be committed.”

It added, “Siddique had hatched criminal conspiracy and that he was the member of terrorist organization namely ISIL and ISIS and that he had taken Baith of ISIS and that he, with the intention to the activities of the terrorist organization namely ISIS addressed meetings for the purpose of encouraging its activities.”