Mangalore: Malegaon Blast - NIA Officials Harassing us, Claim Beltangady Brothers
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Feb 23: Spokesperson of Sanatana Samstha, Vinod Kamath, asserted that activists of the Samstha, Uday and Vinay from Neriya village in Beltangady taluk have nothing to do with Malegaon blast.
It may be recalled that Uday and Vinay from Neriya are being interrogated by National Investigation Agency (NIA) since a couple of days, in connection with the involvement of their relative, Jayaprakash from Goa, who has since gone into hiding.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday February 22, Kamath accused NIA officials of unnecessarily harassing the activists of the organization in the guise of gathering information on some missing accused in the case. He also said that their organization would be filing complaints against the NIA officials with Human Rights Commission, Women’s Commission, and Chief Minister.
Uday and Vinay said NIA officers Seturam and Manu N K had been harassing them in the last some days relating to a suspected accused in Malegaon blast. They said both the officers had visited their home, and had inflicted mental torture on their parents and sister in the name of investigation, duly adding that they would complain to the district superintendent of police against this harassment.
“The NIA officers took us away at 3 pm on February 20 and questioned us till 11 pm. Even though they initially asked us to be present for questioning at 9 am, when contacted later, they said they would call us as and when required. But at 12.30 pm the next day, they called us and questioned as to why we had not presented ourselves for the 11.30 am interrogation. Then they spread false information that we had gone missing,” they explained.
They said that during the questioning, they were asked to undress, and the officers kicked them and pulled their hair. “They sent policemen to our house, and collected driving licences, electoral identity card, Adhaar card, ration card etc. They also are threatening our parents,” they complained.
While admitting that Jayaprakash, who the officers are suspecting to be an accused in the above blast is the son-in-law of their father’s elder sister, they said they had no information about his whereabouts after 2008.
“We even do not know where his wife, Shyalaja is, at present. We have cooperated with the officers and given all information we knew. Still we are being tortured. My younger brother, Vinay, has been working at Ramnathi office of Sanathana Samstha in the recording department. I too visit the place now and then, and I am always available at Hotel Swagat run by my father at Aniyoor,” Uday said.
Vinod Kamath said that NIA officers had already conducted investigation in this connection at Ramnathi office of the Samstha, and that the officials have been torturing the Samstha activists in the name of investigation.
Anil Kamath and Ramesh Nayak were present at the press conference.