Muslims decry arrests made in Hyderabad blasts case

Muslims on Tuesday criticised the Hyderabad police for arresting innocent youth in connection with the August 25 twin blasts that killed 43 people and injured several others.

Hyderabad, Sept 4 : Muslims on Tuesday criticised the Hyderabad police for arresting "innocent" youth in connection with the August 25 twin blasts that killed 43 people and injured several others.

Mohammed Khureshi of Muslim Personal Law Board submitted a memorandum to the city police Commissioner saying that that it was not right to target one particular community.

In the memorandum, the Board has sought information on the station or the task force to which the arrested men were taken for questioning.

"Taking them away without informing anybody seems like a way of harassing Muslims," said Khureshi.

Khureshi said that the Commissioner was also told about the police raids in Madrassa during nights.

"He sympathetically listened to all our complaints and assured us there will be no raid at nights," Khureshi said, after meeting the Commissioner.

Rehena Sultana, a member of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee, said: "In some areas of Hyderabad, the women are scared about their children and about themselves."

Two blasts occurred minutes apart on Aug 25 in two crowded parts of the city, killing 40 people and wounding about 80 others.

Police said the main suspect was Shahid Bilal of Harkat-ul Jihad Islami (HuJI), a Bangladesh group originally set up during Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

The incident took place over three months after 11 people were killed in a bomb explosion inside the historic Mecca Masjid.

Four persons were arrested on September 2 in connection with the Masjid bombing in May, with officials saying the same group could also be involved in August's twin bombings in the same city.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) also arrested a "Bangladeshi" woman, Shahi Lajajani for staying illegally in India.

Police suspect her brother Rizvan, also staying illegally in India for last six years, as being involved in the twin blasts.

Authorities suspect Islamist militant groups based in Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind the attacks. Both Islamabad and Dhaka have rejected the idea, saying Indian officials are jumping to conclusions.

ANI