15-yr-old twin blasts accused walks free

Fifteen-year-old Farheen, an accused in the Black Monday blasts, can finally walk free. Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, appearing on behalf ...

Fifteen-year-old Farheen, an accused in the Black Monday blasts, can finally walk free. Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, appearing on behalf of Mumbai Police, told a special court today the state has no case against the minor.

Farheen was held under POTA as a conspirator along with her parents, Sayyed Mohammed Hanif and Fahimida, and three others for allegedly carrying out the blasts at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar.

Appearing before the designated POTA court, the state submitted a 2,500-page chargesheet against six of the accused in custody, including Farheen’s parents. While asking the court to discharge the minor, the state said it did not have ‘‘sufficient evidence’’ to charge her under POTA. This is the second instance where Mumbai Police has erred in applying POTA after the Md Afroze case.

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The chargesheet has been filed five months after the incident. At the time of Farheen’s arrest, investigators said she was 18 years old and hence could be taken into custody. A day later, the court was told she was a minor and she was sent to a juvenile remand home.

‘‘The police should have displayed restraint and spared her the humiliation and anguish,’’ said Fahimida’s lawyer Majeed Memon.

‘‘The police should compensate her for the five months she spent in jail,’’ said Mihir Desai, a human rights activist and lawyer.

The police said the trio from Chandigarh — Rohan (21), Sumit (22), and Mohit (19) — were dhol players by profession and had procured the weapons due to an old rivalry with local residents.

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