A court has decided to prolong the police custody of a student from IIT Guwahati, identified as Touseef Ali Farouqui, by an additional five days. Farouqui, a fourth-year B Tech student in the Bioscience department, appeared before Kamrup (Metro) District and Sessions Judge Raktim Duara as his initial nine-day remand concluded on Wednesday.
Farouqui’s arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA on March 24 followed after he expressed his affiliation with the terror group ISIS. He faces charges under various Sections of the Indian Constitution, including those related to membership in an unlawful association and involvement in advocating and inciting unlawful activities. Additionally, he has been accused under multiple Sections of the Indian Penal Code, including conspiracy to commit offences related to waging war against the nation.
The request by the prosecution for an additional five-day extension of the student’s remand was granted, along with the inclusion of two more Sections under the UAPA. These new Sections pertain to membership in an unlawful association and providing support to a terrorist organisation. The accused was apprehended on March 23 in Hajo, Kamrup district, and formally arrested the following day.
Assam Police’s Special Task Force or STF Inspector General Parthasarathi Mahanta mentioned credible evidence linking the accused to ISIS was discovered during interrogation, leading to his arrest.
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 caught in Dhubri district after they had entered over from Bangladesh.
STF Additional Superintendent of Police Kalyan Kumar Pathak stated the student had sent an email, in which he mentioned his goal to join ISIS. It was proved true as a black flag akin to that of ISIS was found in his hostel room. The flag has been sent for verification to specialised agencies which deal with proscribed outfits.
Farouqui’s father additionally mentioned his son had spoken to his family members in Delhi that he would not continue with his studies and had other plans.
“I live in Siwan in Bihar but he was with my wife in Delhi. My son had told her about not continuing with his studies as he had other plans,” informed the student’s father Azmat Ali Farouqui, who blamed his wife of knowing about it but she kept hidden from the others.
Both parents arrived here and had gone to the police station where he was lodged to meet him the next day. Azmat Ali did not say anything about what transpired during the meeting but claimed that they came to know about their son’s arrest from media.
