No Azamgarh Muslim is terrorist: local Hindus

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,

New Delhi: Though some Muslim youths from Azamgarh have been killed as suspected terrorists and many others have been picked from the district and some other places in the country, local Hindus are not ready to even imagine that any Muslim from the district could be a terrorist.

“I don’t think there are any terrorist here. Whatever said in the media is just their investigation. Otherwise we haven’t yet seen any terrorist here. Never such thing has appeared here. People are shocked at what police and media are saying” Dr Sunil Kumar Yadav told TwoCircles.net in Sarai Meer.

Atif, one of the two slain terror suspects (killed in the Batla House encounter), was from Sarai Meer.

Renowned Madrasatul Islah (also in Sarai Meer) was said in some media report to be giving training to terrorists.

Dr Yadav rejects the allegation about the madrasa. “This is false, there is no such thing at the madrasa. It cannot be true. Such allegations are tarnishing the image of the area. The government should first investigate. To describe anyone terrorist without investigation is wrong. I oppose it,” he says.

Anil Yadav of Sarai Meer says: “Whatever has been said about Sarai Meer or some locals is all fabricated. It has nothing to do with reality. This might have been planned by government or some other forces.”

Dr. Sunil Kumar Yadav of Saraimeer

Do you think there are any terrorist among the Muslim community here?

“I have never felt such thing. Had there been such people there would have occurred some blasts or shooting. But this area has never seen any such incident,” says Anil Yadav.

Whatever has happened in the last two months is a “political stunt of the Congress for electoral purposes.” It wants to instigate communal feeling for the coming elections. The allegation of terrorism against some locals has nothing to do with reality, he says adding that some political forces want to create rift among people.

Famous Madrasa-tul-Islah of Saraimeer

Roop Chand, gatekeeper of Shibli College, is also aghast at the revelations about some Muslim youths of Azamgarh and is in no mood to accept the police version.

However, traffic policeman N. Srivastava has a different view. There are mafias and criminal gangs here (pointing towards a Muslim-dominated area in the town). They often take out weapons at petty issues. He believies that there may be some truth in police claim that there are some Muslim terrorists.