Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu, Indian Mujahideen’s new commander, masterminded the bomb attack on Narendra Modi’s crowded rally to kill women and children in large numbers by setting off a stampede, and was present at Gandhi Maidan to supervise the bombers as they ringed the rally ground with explosives.
This was revealed by IM operative Imtiaz Ansariwho was fortuitously arrested with explosives and has since provided vital leads on the bombers and the terror plot. “Hamara uddeshya tha aatank faile aur bhag daur main kafi sankhya mein mahilayen aur bachche maren (Our objective was to trigger fear so that many women and children get killed in the resultant rush),” Imtiaz was quoted as saying in the FIR registered by Patna Police.
“Muzaffarnagar mein bahut Muslim maare gaye hain, aur tum sirf namaz hi padhte raho (Many Muslims got killed in Muzaffarnagar and all that you people do is to offer namaz),” Tehsin exhorted his associates, according to Imtiaz. This was noted in the FIR.
The incendiary exhortation of Tehsin, who used the alias of Memon for the Patna attack, had the desired effect with Imtiaz and others getting motivated to carry out a spectacular attack. “Yeh sun kar yeh bhi uttejit hue aur koi bada kaam karne ka tay hua,” the FIR said.
Sources also quoted Imtiaz acknowledging the involvement of Tehsin, a resident of Samastipur district in Bihar, in the serial bomb blasts on Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya in July: a terror attack scripted in retaliation against the alleged killings of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Besides Imtiaz’s statement, Tehsin’s involvement in Bodh Gaya attack is indicated also by the use of the same brand of clocks, Lotus, which is manufactured at Morvi in Gujarat’s Rajkot district, in both the serial blasts.
Sources in Bihar Police confirmed to TOI that Tehsin, who is wanted for multiple terror blasts, was recently spotted in the state, adding that a massive manhunt has been launched for the fugitive jihadi. “His photographs have been circulated among authorities in districts and posts of the Shashatra Seema Bal, the paramilitary force which guards the border with Nepal,” a source said.
In its FIR, Patna Police identified other members of the group as Tariq alias Ainul who suffered life-threatening injuries while planting bombs at the railway station, Taufiq, Nauman and Hyder alias Abdullah. It cited Imtiaz’s testimony to say that Tehsin started instigating the group to carry out the serial blasts since Monday.
The group split into three batches of two each, and took different buses of Priyanshu Travels to reach Patna on the morning of Sunday when the rally was scheduled. Imtiaz and Tariq were to plant bombs at the railway station to strike those arriving for the rally, before reuniting with the others at Gandhi Maidan.
However, one of the IEDs exploded when Tariq was planting them. The explosion brought many policemen to the station and one of the constables nabbed Imtiaz when he was trying to escape.—IANS
