One of the two men who was caught on CCTV camera at the Majestic metro station on Monday evening during a security incident and subsequently branded as a terror suspect by some media channels, came forward and met the police on Wednesday.
After he was cleared of any wrongdoing, the commuter, Riyaz, 45, lodged a complaint against TV channels for running “news reports” with his photo and branding him as a terror suspect.
This followed a security incident at the Majestic metro station on Monday evening, when a person, who was carrying metallic objects, set off an alarm while passing through a metal detector. He did not want to be frisked and left the station instead. The police are yet to identify this man.
CCTV camera footage also showed a second man, now identified as Riyaz, a bystander. He was seen looking at the security checkpoint from a distance, when the other man was pulled out of the line by the security personnel. The news of this incident set off rumours of terrorists on the loose in the city.
“With no evidence, some media channels marked Riyaz out and said he was also a terror suspect. He has been selling watches in Majestic for over two decades now. We cleared him after a thorough background check,” said the police.
Ravi D. Channannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), said Riyaz is worried about his safety as images of him were shown on television channels. “He fears that he may even be lynched by mobs,” said the police officer.
The police have intensified the search for the other man who was seen leaving the metro station.
“We are using this as an opportunity to review security measures in the Majestic area,” said Mr. Channannavar.
