KOCHI: Abdul Razak PH of Aluva, whose two sons are accused in various SIMI-related cases registered across India, was a relieved man on Tuesday. For after fighting a long legal battle for his sons Mohammed Ansar and Abdul Sathar, the fifth and sixth accused, respectively, in the Wagamon SIMI camp case, he finally found some solace in the sentence awarded to them.
“Monday was a tense day for me as the court found both my sons guilty in the case. I was partially relieved on Tuesday as they were sentenced to seven years of RI. Ansar, who was arrested in 2009, has completed the sentence term while Sathar, who was arrested in 2013, will complete the sentence in three more years,” said Razak, who is in his early 70s. He regularly visited the NIA Court in Kochi to aid defence lawyers in the case.
He also visits the Bhopal Central Jail often to see Ansar who is lodged there after being convicted in a SIMI-related case.Though the sentence brought him relief, Razak said he was still concerned for Ansar’s life in the Bhopal jail.“A National Human Rights Commission team had found that people charged with being SIMI members, including my son, were subjected to torture and suffered inhuman acts. They were physically assaulted,” he said.Relatives of the other accused were also present at the NIA Court in Kochi on Tuesday and expressed happiness over the quantum of sentence awarded.