The Delhi Police on Friday filed a chargesheet in the arrest of alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder and member of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Tauqeer.
The document narrates the operation, wherein shots were allegedly fired from both sides before Qureshi was arrested from east Delhi’s Ghazipur on January 20.
Four days after the arrest, on January 24, The Hindu had reported that several residents near the Paper Market in Ghazipur, including Khoda Colony, where the alleged encounter took place, claimed they had not heard any gunshots and didn’t acknowledge police presence.
The chargesheet, however, stated that Qureshi and the driver of the white vehicle, later identified as Mohd. Aziz, were spotted coming towards Ghazipur Paper Market at 8.07 p.m. The police party “tried to intercept the car by blocking the road but the driver sped away towards Khoda Colony”.
The team allegedly followed the car which took a “sudden turn towards fifth left entry”.
The chargesheet added that a police car blocked the accused’s vehicle, which came to a stop after hitting the police car. Meanwhile, another police vehicle blocked the accused’s car from the rear.
‘DCP, Inspector hit’
“The occupants of the car were loudly warned to surrender by DCP [Pramod Singh Kushwah] and other members of the police party by disclosing their identity,” read the document.
The accused, however, allegedly came out of the car and started running in different directions.
Qureshi allegedly fired two rounds at the police party, one of which allegedly hit Mr. Kushwah. But he was saved by the bulletproof jacket he was wearing, read the chargesheet.
The police party then fired back in self defence before finally overpowering Qureshi at 8.15 p.m.
The document also states that Mohd. Aziz, an associate of Qureshi from Uttar Pradesh, fired at the police party and a bullet hit Inspector Amul Tyagi. He too was saved by his bulletproof vest.
The officers allegedly fired back, but Aziz managed to flee.
The police, in the chargesheet, claimed that they had asked some passers-by to be a part of the team but all of them refused “giving genuine reasons” except one person. However, that person also left after 10-15 minutes “citing shortage of time and important work”.
Mohammed Hanif (47) of Shalimar Garden, a contractor who has a office in the Paper Market, had claimed no knowledge of the alleged encounter.
“We usually leave around 8 p.m. We didn’t hear anything. If something like this happens in this area, word spreads fast,” he had said.
2008 Gujarat serial blasts
The chargesheet states that Qureshi, who is alleged to have been the mastermind behind the 2008 Gujarat serial blasts, joined SIMI in 1991 with his two college friends and had met Indian Mujahideen founder Riyaz Bhatkal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2017, allegedly for the future plans of IM and SIMI.
“He motivated and recruited young Muslims for SIMI,” the document said, adding that he had come to India to “rejuvenate the setup” of the two outfits.
