Assam STF probes Maulvi’s role in alleged ISIS links of IIT Guwahati student

The Special Task Force of Assam Police, with the objective to find out probable links between local residents and ISIS, led an operation to North Guwahati’s Amingaon area in the case related to IIT Guwahati student attempting to join ISIS. The team will investigate the involvement of a Maulvi at a nearby mosque in this matter.

This action was taken after arrest of Tauseef Ali Farooqui on March 28. He is the student in question originally hailing from Delhi, who was travelling to join the banned terrorist group ISIS.

Besides, the STF searched Moriyapattya Jamma Masjid in Amingaon, carrying out thorough searches and inquires. During the operation, the STF quizzed a cleric named Gulzar Hussain, who lives in Assam’s Mukalmua.

Facing allegations of connections to ISIS, Tauseef Ali Farooqui was put in the custody of Assam STF for another five days on April 3.

Farooqui has been charged under Section 10/13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which is a strict law dealing with unlawful and terrorist activities.

During his court appearance, Farooqui’s parents were present in the courtroom. After the five-day custody period, Farooqui is expected to appear in court again.

Farooqui was initially held by people at Damdama in Hajo and handed over to the police. Eventually, police handed over Farooqui to the STF. People who know him told police that Farooqui is said to be a brilliant student.

Following the open letter on Touseef Ali Farooqui’s LinkedIn profile tagged as ‘An Open Letter,’ it was suspected that the student from IIT Guwahati was on his way to join the Islamic State, or ISIS.

In the ‘open letter’ on social media platform LinkedIn, Farooqui expressed his desire to ‘disassociate’ himself from the Indian Constitution and other Indian institutions.

His statement, interspersed with Ayats or verses from the Quran and their renderings, included his willingness to embark on ‘Hijrat’ or emigration to Islamic State-Khorasan Province, a regional branch of the Islamic State terrorist group active in South-Central Asia, primarily Afghanistan.