The Hindu : Afroze case: Centre yet to respond to Maharashtra plea

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Tuesday, Apr 09, 2002

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Afroze case: Centre yet to respond to Maharashtra plea

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI April 8. The Maharashtra Government has not heard from the Centre on its request to assign the probe into Mohammed Afroze's suspected links with the Al-Qaeda to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Deputy Chief Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, and the Maharashtra Home Secretary, Asoke Basak, after meeting the Union Home Minister, L. K. Advani, in New Delhi recently, came back with the impression that Mr. Advani was "appreciative'' of Maharashtra's concerns. The Centre was told that "there are leads to follow overseas which the Mumbai Police cannot do on their own'', a source said.

As the Intelligence Bureau has been associated right from its start in questioning Afroze, who was detained on October 3, 2001, the Centre might have thought that the CBI may not have much of a role to play now, sources said. 0Interestingly, the CBI was sought to be roped in only after instructions from political masters — it is an open secret here now — to drop the POTO charges the day the Congress(I) was opposing it at the joint session of Parliament. It appeared a face-saving step.

Tomorrow (Tuesday), the police are to chargesheet Afroze again under new provisions, after the Court gave bail to him. But he is yet to leave the jail for want of collateral; the Court had asked that withdrawal of POTA be reconsidered or the Maharashtra Organised Crime Control Act — an equally strong law, if not more stringent — be applied. The police are still tight-lipped about the option they will choose.

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Afroze case: Centre yet to respond to Maharashtra plea