Mufti Ismail criticises police investigation, calls for transparency and justice
Team Clarion
MUMBAI – Mufti Ismail Qasmi, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA, has voiced strong dissatisfaction with the police investigation into the shooting of former Malegaon mayor Abdul Malik. Ismail emphasised the urgent need for the arrest of the mastermind behind the attack, criticising the police for not naming anyone as an accused in the First Information Report (FIR) despite having detained suspects.
Abdul Malik was shot on Old Agra Road in Malegaon earlier this week and is currently receiving treatment in a private hospital in Nashik. The police have detained two persons in connection with the case, but their identities have not been disclosed. They were apprehended just hours after the incident and presented in the local court on May 28. The court has remanded them in police custody until June 1.
Expressing the public’s growing frustration, Ismail stated, “The people are not satisfied with the investigation process of the police because the role of the police in many serious cases in the recent past has been suspicious and unsatisfactory. Abdul Malik is a former mayor; the role of the police became suspicious in this dangerous case.”
Ismail further highlighted discrepancies in the police’s handling of the case. “The names of those who appeared in the court as accused by the police are not in the FIR. An anonymous FIR has been written. The police have decided on their own that this is a land and business dispute. According to the circumstances, the police are trying to give another direction to the deadly attack due to political rivalry,” he said.
The Malegaon MLA declared intentions to pursue justice independently. “The police’s investigation angle is not correct; we will file a private FIR. The details of the behaviour of the local police will be submitted to the state authorities. We want justice to be shown in the police action.”
In a related development, security has been beefed up at the residence of former Malegaon MLA Sheikh Asif at Noor Bagh. This heightened security follows the shooting incident, although attempts by the media to contact Asif have been unsuccessful. It is reported that Asif left Malegaon on May 27, and neither he nor his family have made any public statements regarding the incident.
