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This story is from April 26, 2019

Sri Lanka blasts: Coimbatore man denies link with NTJ, says NIA trying to frame him

Sri Lanka blasts: Coimbatore man denies link with NTJ, says NIA trying to frame him
COIMBATORE: R Ashiq of Marakkadai in Coimbatore, who is accused of plotting to murder Hindutva leaders, on Friday said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is trying to frame him and others by linking them with the National Thowheed Jama'at (NTJ), a terror group suspected to be involved in the serial blasts in Sri Lanka.
"We don't have any connection with the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka.
The NIA is trying to frame us by stating that we were in touch with Moulavi Zahran Bin Hashim of the National Thowheed Jama'at. The NIA is working against innocent Muslims and is trying to present Muslims as terrorists in the international arena", he said.
Ashiq, 25 of Thirumal Street at Marakkadai is working in a butcher shop at Kottaimedu in the city. He is one among the six men who have been accused of plotting to murder Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK) leader Arjun Sampath.
The NIA was investigating the case. The NIA had taken him into custody thrice. However, it failed to file a chargesheet within 180 days against Ashiq and others, and they got bail from the NIA special court at Poonamallee in Chennai two months ago.
The NIA claimed that it had alerted Sri Lanka through Indian intelligence agency about the conversation that had happened between the NTJ leader and the six accused.
Ashiq told TOI that he did not have any connection with the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka.
"The NIA registered a fake case against innocent Muslims and tried to create a story that Muslims are terrorists. But the NIA won't bother about the real culprits. The case against us in connection with plotting to murder Hindutva leaders is also a false one. We came out on bail because the NIA doesn’t have any valid evidence against us," he said .

Ashiq alleged that he had been beaten up by the Coimbatore city police and made him to put his signature on a document accepting that he was also one of the accused in the murder plot case.
He added that he knew four of the accused people through Facebook . “They came to Coimbatore city to attend a marriage function and I went to the Coimbatore railway junction to receive them. Meanwhile, the city police arrested all of us and foisted fake cases,” he said.
He added that he was not a sympathiser of terror group ISIS. The NIA created a story against me saying that he was an ISIS sympathiser, he said.
" I had not heard about ISIS earlier. I came to know about ISIS on after my arrest. I have never contacted NTJ leader Zahran Bin Hashim. I haven’t chatted with him. I gave my Facebook details to the NIA for investigation. But I don't know about the others whether they were in touch with NTJ leader, " said Ashiq.
"I came to know about the NTJ leader on after the serial blasts in Sri Lanka. Those who involved in the serial bomb blasts should be punished severely," he added.
Ashiq said NIA officials had not conducted any inquiry with him after. "I am always cooperating with NIA for investigation. If they want to conduct an inquiry with me again, I am ready to answer them," he said.
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