Bhatkal’s father says media should not conduct trial

We have full faith in the judicial process: family

Yasin Bhatkal’s father Zadar Siddibapa has expressed relief over the arrest of his son as it proves that he is alive and “not eliminated in a fake encounter”.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday with Yaqub Siddibapa, who is Yasin Bhatkal’s uncle, he said: “We are relieved because the truth will come out and our fears that he would be eliminated in a fake encounter have been set to rest. We have complete faith in the judicial process. He should be punished if he is guilty of any offence after the due process of law is followed. The cardinal principle that every person is innocent till proven guilty should be followed.”

Appeal to media

Making a special appeal to the media, Yasin Bhatkal’s father and uncle said that the media should desist from conducting a trial of its own, and instead, “allow a free and fair trial”. They said that “falsehoods” were being spread in the media about Yasin Bhatkal.

The statement has placed on record some facts about the background of the accused. According to them, the accused, born in 1983, studied in Bhatkal till Standard X. After failing in his examination, he migrated to Dubai in November 2005, and lost touch with the family in January 2007.

‘Not in Pune’

“To our knowledge, he had never set foot in Pune, where he is accused of carrying out the 2012 series of bombings, until he disappeared from Dubai,” said the statement.