The Jamia Nagar police on Monday afternoon stopped the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid from entering the area telling him his presence could create a ‘law and order’ situation. Imam Bukhari was on his way to L-18 — the site of last month’s encounter — after locals called him to say they had spotted certain unidentified men going inside the flat on Monday morning. Batla House residents described their activities as ‘suspicious’. However, officers of the Jamia police, the Special Cell as well as the Crime Branch denied their men had been sent to the flat in the morning for inspection. The Imam’s car was stopped by police near the Holy Family Hospital around 2.30 pm. Officers refused to give way and also had arguments with members of the recently-formed Jamia Coordination Committee. Imam Bukhari said: “The police then allowed my nephew Tariq Bukhari and a member of the coordination committee Irfanullah Khan to go inside the house.” They could not find anything suspicious, police sources said.Local police officers on Monday also included local residents in a four-member committee formed to accompany the police when it conducted investigations inside house L-18. However, police sources said members of this team — Irfanullah Khan, Asif Mohammed Khan, Javed Alam and Wasim Gazi — would not be allowed inside if officers of the Special Cell or the Crime Branch were on an inspection.
