By Shamindra Ferdinando

The All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Fronts (ACUMLYF) has requested K. Navas Kani, MP, of the Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) to inquire into the high profile case of four Sri Lankans taken into custody in Gujarat on terrorism charges during the Indian general elections in May-June this year.

Identifying the four persons taken into custody on May 19 at the Ahmedabad airport as Mohammad Nusrat, Mohammad Nafran, Mohammad Rashdeen and Mohammad Faris, the grouping’s President Sham Nawaz told The Island that they were seriously concerned about the police here asking the families of the detained whether their loved ones returned home.

The newly-elected National People’s Power (NPP) should take up this issue with India at the highest level, Nawaz emphasised the responsibility on the part of India to explain the current status of the investigation as the previous Sri Lankan government, in no uncertain terms, cleared all four of any connection with ISIS, or connected with religious extremism.

Nawaz said that he also brought the matter to the notice of Prof. K. M. Cader Mohideen, President, IUML, and was confident that an effort would be made to ascertain the truth. The arrests were made by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad.

Asked whether ACUMLYF received anticipated attention from the government here, Nawaz said that they were given an opportunity to meet the then State Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya in the first week of June. “In spite of assurances given, the Foreign Ministry never bothered at least to get back to us. We are quite confident that they were on business visits. And there is absolutely no basis for accusations that they were involved in religious extremism,” Nawaz said.

Responding to another query, Nawaz said that perhaps the Gujarat arrests may not receive the attention during formal talks between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Premier Narendra Modi this week but it shouldn’t be allowed to be forgotten under any circumstances.

“They must be either charged or released,” Nawaz said, adding that the Muslim community here shouldn’t be allowed to be targeted and humiliated over their alleged allegiance to ISIS, particularly in the wake of the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage.

Nawaz pointed out that some media reports, soon after the arrests, suggested that they arrived in India to cause mayhem during the general election.

Nawaz emphasized that their effort shouldn’t be misinterpreted as an attempt to intervene on behalf of a group dubbed as terrorists.

Sri Lanka should represent the interests of the detained persons in terms of the Vienna Convention on consular assistance.

Pointing out the conflicting claims regarding the arrests, Nawaz asked whether India gave Sri Lankan authorities access to the suspects

Asked whether the families of the detained, or some other interested party sought their intervention, or he knew them personally, Nawaz emphasized that ACUMLYE stepped-in on its own.

Nawaz said that the delegation stressed the need for an independent local investigation as many raised doubts over the continuing allegations regarding the ISIS operations here.

Such fears impacted the economy in many ways, Nawaz said, reiterating the responsibility on the part of the government to conduct no holds barred investigation into the allegations made by Indian authorities.

Contrary to repeated declarations in Indian media that the four arrested at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel airport, in Ahmedabad, had been linked to ISIS and coordinated by a Pakistani handler, investigations conducted by Sri Lankan authorities contradicted the Indian findings, Nawaz said.

Nawaz said that the recently conducted presidential and general elections caused further delays. Unfortunately, the new government, too, seemed slow on this matter hence our decision to seek the assistance of the IMUL to take up the issue at hand.

The Indian media quoted Gujarat Director General of Police Vikas Sahay as having said that the suspects told investigators that they had been earlier associated with the banned Sri Lankan radical militant outfit, National Thowheeth Jamaath (NJT), and joined IS after getting in touch with Pakistani handler Abu Bakr Al Bagdadi.

The NTJ has been blamed for the Easter Sunday attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 270, including 11 Indians. Following the arrests made by Gujarat authorities, several persons were arrested here over their alleged involvement with the four. Nawaz said that the government should set the record straight regarding the alleged Gujarat plot without further delay.