High court lawyer Md Sultan Beary (left) represents Dr Syed Ismail Afaq, who was arrested earlier this month. High court lawyer Md Sultan Beary (left) represents Dr Syed Ismail Afaq, who was arrested earlier this month.

The Bengaluru police's Bhatkal crackdown came under a shadow on Saturday with the lawyer of a suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative claiming he had been framed for his activism.

High court lawyer Md Sultan Beary represents Dr Syed Ismail Afaq, who was arrested earlier this month in connection with a recently uncovered alleged IM module in the Karnataka town.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Beary said Afaq had been framed "in retaliation" for the several RTI applications he had filed against the Bengaluru police. He also sought the intervention of the human rights commission, in Delhi and its Karnataka branch, to ensure a "fair trial" for Afaq.

"It is evident that the police are trying to foist a false case on my client. They have not followed the protocol in the arrest. The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission and the National Human Rights Commission should look into the matter," he added.

This is not the first time arrests made in connection with the alleged Bhatkal module have been questioned. Parents of four men arrested last week had accused the police of planting evidence, charges dismissed by the force. "We are not in the business of planting explosives or bombs in By Aravind Howda in Bangaluru homes. We are conducting an honest, transparent and professional investigation," Bengaluru Police commissioner M.N. Reddi had said. Beary, though, said the investigation was anything but transparent. "Along with Afaq, the police had apprehended his brother as well, but he was let off. Why are they targeting only Afaq? He filed several RTI applications and questioned the conduct of police officers in Bhatkal. There is a plan behind framing Afaq," he alleged.

Beary, however, added that he was "not in a position" to disclose the nature of the RTIs in question. The lawyer alleged that Afaq's Pakistan connection-he is married to a woman from Karachi-has been exploited in an attempt to label him a terror suspect.

"Just because he visited his Pakistan-based in-laws often, it does not make Afaq a terror suspect. His wife recently gave birth to their baby in India. In fact, his wife's sister is also married to a person from Bhatkal. The police are trying to portray Bhatkal (where IM has its roots) as a mini-Pakistan," he added.

"The police are hiding a few facts. They have informed the court that he was arrested from home with the evidence. But in reality, he was nabbed on Hirachand Road in Bengaluru and then taken to his house. The time of his arrest is different from what has been stated in the FIR. Why has this happened? This needs to be probed," he said.



