Karnataka cops in Kerala to arrest Madani

A police team from Karnataka has arrived in south Kerala town Kollam to arrest Peoples Democratic Party PDP chairman Abdul Nazer Madani....

A police team from Karnataka has arrived in south Kerala town Kollam to arrest Peoples Democratic Party PDP chairman Abdul Nazer Madani,listed as an accused in the Bangalore serial blasts case. The move comes two days after the CPM tried to distance itself from the PDP,with general secretary Prakash Karat stating that the Karnataka governments action against Madani could not be seen as part of the BJPs torture against minorities.

Armed with the non-bailable arrest warrant issued by the Bangalore Additional Metropolitan Court on June 16,the police team sought the assistance of the Kerala Police to arrest the PDP leader,who had been acquitted in the Coimbatore blast case of 1998. The Bangalore court has had to renew the arrest warrant many times,as the Kerala government never moved to facilitate the arrest.

While rejecting his bail application last week,the Karnataka High Court had blasted the Bangalore police for delaying the arrest of Madani,who had been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

On Tuesday evening,the Bangalore police met Kollam district police Superintendent Harshitha Attallori. We would give all necessary support to the Bangalore police for Madanis arrest. But it is up to the Karnataka Police to decide the time of arrest, said Attallori.

At Anwarasseri in Kollam,where he runs an orphanage-cum-school,Madani looked resigned to the development. The move to arrest me is an outcome of a well-planned conspiracy by the BJP and the Karnataka government. I am ready to face arrest if they produce an arrest warrant. I am not an extremist; I had not gone to Kodagu in Karnataka to take part in a meeting held to plan the Bangalore blast. If I come out of the Karnataka jail alive,I would again work against terrorism as I had done after being acquitted in the Coimbatore case. I have asked the cadres to observe utmost restraint in the event of my arrest, Madani said as PDP activists streamed into the institution.

HC relaxes bail norm of Soofiya Madani

KOCHI: The Kerala HC on Tuesday relaxed for a month the bail condition of Soofiya Madani in a bus burning case on a plea that she wanted to be with her family during Ramzan. Soofiya is wife of PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani.PTI