Mukhtar Ahmed, a cloth merchant from Bangalore, spent the most important part of his life as parent, in judicial custody. Picked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to the Chennai RSS regional headquarters blast in 1993, he was taken to Chennai and produced in TADA court.
He was remanded to judicial custody where he remained for six years. Later, he was released on conditional bail, but had to stay away from family at Chennai for eight more years before Supreme Court pronounced him innocent and acquitted him.
Meanwhile, his business collapsed and his family was alienated by friends, relatives and neighbours. Frequent trips to Chennai, court expenses, and mental trauma took their toll on the psychological and financial health of the family.
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His worst loss was that he had to forgo the pleasure of watching the growing years of his sons. He left them as two and three year olds, and was reunited with them only after they became grownups.
His and many such others' stories were captured in the documentary film ‘After the Storm' which was screened by Confederation of Voluntary Associations here on Sunday.
Film-maker Shubhradeep Chakravorty, through his film, brought to fore the agony and torture suffered by seven victims and their families across the country who lost precious years and family honour to false accusations of terrorism by the police.
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They include three from Hyderabad -- Md. Fasiuddin Ahmed, Moutasim Billah and Shaikh Abdul Kaleem -- all students. Fasiuddin was picked up in connection with Gokul Chat blasts, and the two others were charged with conspiracy.