An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati student, who had allegedly pledged allegiance to the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS), was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Sunday, March 24. Further, a senior official said that they are looking for another.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that two students of IIT Guwahati were identified as having links with ISIS and trying to join the group, however, one of them is yet to be found, reported PTI. Out of the two, Touseef Ali Farooqui, who is a fourth-year BTech student in the Bioscience department, was detained on Saturday, March 23.
Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) Inspector General (IG) Parthasarathi Mahanta told PTI that after interrogating him, police found credible evidence of his links with ISIS and he was arrested on Sunday, March 24. "We produced him in the court, which has sent him to police custody for 10 days. We also carried out a search in his hostel room inside the IIT Guwahati campus," Mahanta said, as stated in a report by PTI.
Further, he added that Farooqui who hails from Delhi, was arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. On Saturday, March 23, he was detained at Hajo in Kamrup district while he was on his way to join ISIS after allegedly pledging allegiance to the terror group.
The student was detained three days after the ISIS India head Haris Farooqi, alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi, and his associate Anurag Singh, alias Rehan, were arrested in Dhubri district after they had crossed over from Bangladesh. Further, the IG said, "Further investigation is underway as of date and further rounds of questioning of the suspect are going on.
CM reacts
Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, the police have got information about two students of IIT Guwahati trying to join ISIS.
"One of them has been found, but the other is not found. We are looking for him and will soon get him. They have been radicalised and we have informed their parents. They hail from Batla House area of Delhi," he added. Sarma also said that central agencies have been intimated accordingly.
Evidence disclosure
On March 23, STF Additional Superintendent of Police Kalyan Kumar Pathak said the student had sent an email, in which he claimed that he was on the way to join ISIS. The IIT Guwahati authorities were immediately contacted, who informed the police that the said student had been "missing' since noon and his mobile phone was also switched off.
Following this, the police began a search to locate him and he was nabbed from the Hajo area in the evening with the help of locals, the ASP had said.
Additionally, the ASP said that a black flag, "purportedly similar to that of ISIS", was found in the student’s hostel room and was being sent for verification to specialised agencies which deal with proscribed outfits, PTI reported.
