KENDRAPARA: Habibur Rehman alias Habib’s arrest might have come as a big success for National Investigation Agency (NIA) but for minority community members of Kendrapara district, the incident has brought a sense of ignominy and fear. People of the community now apprehend that they will be increasingly under the scrutiny and viewed with suspicion in the society as well. At the same time, they also dread that some youths, who are missing or have not visited their homes for many years, might have fallen into the hands of anti-national elements or terrorist organisations.
Farida Biwi (65), whose son Md Zaved is missing for the last seven years, is one among them. A resident of Ranapada village within Kendrapara town limits, Zaved was arrested in 2007 by Rajasthan Police from the Indo-Pak border for alleged terror links. After being jailed in Rajasthan for three years, he was bailed out by his father, Md Dilwar, in 2010.
He returned to Kendrapara and stayed with his mother for a year before disappearing again in 2012. His whereabouts is not known since. Searching for Zaved, Rajasthan Police had in January this year raided the house of Farida, who stays alone in Ranapada after her divorce with Dilwar. Although there is no evidence of Zaved being involved in any anti-national activity, Farida is fearing the worst.
“I am still hoping that my son would return home safely some day. He worked for a private company in Rajasthan and police do not have any proof that he was involved with any terror outfit,” she said. Contacted, Kendrapara SDPO Rajiv Lochan Panda said Md Zaved was arrested by Border Security Force and he absconded after being released on bail. His case is still under investigation, he added.Meanwhile, Habib’s arrest is not the first for association with terrorist outfits. Back in 2016, police had arrested Abdul Rehman of Paschimkachha village in Kendrapara district for his alleged links with Al Qaeda.