Bhatkal muslims celebrate Samad Bhatkal’s release

Bhatkal muslims celebrate Samad Bhatkal’s release

Mangalore Today News Network

Bhatkal, June 16: The port town of Bhatkal was in a jubilant mood, after a Mumbai sessions court granted bail to Abdul Samad Bhatkal yesterday.

 

The Mumbai ATS had picked up Bhatkal for his alleged role in an arms case, from Mangalore’s Bajpe airport on May 25.

Samad family sympathisers were overjoyed when news channels flashed the news.
 
People were out on the roads, celebrating and were seen distributing sweets. Bhatkal’s family members, who are in Mumbai to secure his release, were flooded with calls.

"We are so happy that we are planning to celebrate it in  a big way after his release," Inayath, a close family friend of Samad said.

Samad was granted bail with a cash surety of Rs 25,000 with the condition of furnishing the latest address and telephone numbers to the investigating officer.

The court has directed Samad to deposit his passport with the investigating officer and asked not to lave the country without permission.

Samad had approached the session’s court earlier this month, seeking bail in connection with the arms case on the grounds that there were no serious allegations against him.

Seeking his bail, Samad’s advocate Mubin Solkar on Monday had argued that there wasn’t a single reference to Samad in any of the case papers and that the ATS had not produced any material on the basis of which they suddenly arrested him last month from Mangalore Airport.

After the argument, Judge S L Pathan reserved the verdict till next day and finally granted the bail yesterday. After the completion of documentation, Samad is expected to be released today.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had arrested Abdul Samad Bhatkal from Mangalore.
 

Acting on a tip-off from intelligence agencies, Samad was arrested at Mangalore’s Bajpe airport shortly after he arrived from Dubai on 25 May 2010.

Admission of Fault

The Maharashtra Director General of Police D Sivanandan has admitted that investigations by the state ATS into the February 13 German Bakery terror attack have gone wrong.

His comments came after a court granted bail to Abdul Samad, arrested in connection with an 2009 arms seizure case and alleged to be involved in the Pune blast case, saying there was no evidence against him.

"The ATS has to study the Pune blast case scientifically and collect evidence to identify the group behind the attack", he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here last night.

Sivanandan said he was aware that four months had passed since the incident but stressed that the investigating agency should not be put under pressure.

"The first mistake was the blast and second wrong investigation. What we need is right investigation at right time," the police chief, who was here to inaugurate an induction course for the state CID officers, said.

Samad was picked up by the ATS Maharashtra on May 25 at Mangalore airport after he returned from Dubai. He was charged with supplying arms to three persons arrested from South Mumbai in August, 2009.

Additional Sessions Judge S L Pathan on Tuesday observed there was no evidence against Samad and that even the ATS had never shown him as a "wanted accused" in the 2009 arms seizure case.

The ATS had claimed a breakthrough in the Pune blast, which claimed 17 lives, with the arrest of Samad. Even Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had issued a statement complimenting the ATS for the breakthrough. However, the statement was diluted later and the Home Minister cautioned the police to verify all the facts.

Mid-Day