Kolkata: There is no place for vandalism and attack on cops and journalists, said the kin of the arrested who gathered at the Bankshall Court on Sunday and insisted that they will stop providing any support to the accused if there is “any iota of truth” that the accused were indeed involved.They, however, also insisted that even though a few of them have political connections, the men arrested for the vandalism had gone there for a common cause — to show solidarity with the students and youths.“My son has always been with the SFI and the CPM. During the assembly polls, he was working for ISF candidate Naushad Siddiqui. He had gone to the protest as a commoner. He is a BA pass-out and is a cloth merchant but wants to secure a bright future for his daughter.
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I have seen one reel where I can see him raising slogans and nothing else? Is that a crime now? Yet, even as he was attending to his daughter who was ill, the cops asked him to come down to Bijoyganj PS in Bhangar. He was kept sitting there till 11.30 pm before being arrested,” said Yakub Ali Mal, the father of arrested protester Md Jahiruddin Mal (32).Mal said he was not worried about the new Goonda Act being slapped but more concerned to know if indeed his son got involved in the violence. “We come from a political family. I cannot stand anyone who attacks cops unprovoked or threatens and assaults scribes. It will hurt if my son was involved. Yet I am certain he has been wrongly picked up,” he said.Jahirul Islam Molla, a family friend and a distant kin of another accused, Sk Md Salman Hussain (29) from Rajabagan, claimed that multiple videos showed Hussain carrying the Indian flag. “If you can show me any evidence of Hussain being involved, we will stop providing him any legal help. But if you cannot, we will get ready to fight legally all vested interests who are trying to defame him,” said Molla.Moments earlier, Hussain, being dragged out of the prison van, claimed he was being targeted by a section of media. Soon after, several persons were seen trying to raise slogans before being stopped by cops.Istiaq Khan, a relative of another arrested person — Shabaz Khan (34) — from Bright Street said that Shabaz was involved in fish trade. “We have indeed found that he had made a derogatory statement. But it was not meant for any individual. He was not part of the vandalism. We are praying that he is not slapped with the new act,” said istiaq.Wife of Dipak Bhowmick alias Vicky (38) claimed her husband was not even at the incident spot. “Cops came to his shop on Saturday and stated they wanted to carry out some grill work. When my husband came before them, he was picked up. I have a small child to take care of,” she said.
