Duo visits Nitish Kumar to clear names as ISI, IM 'links'

Two persons under the scanner of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for their alleged links with Pakistan's ISI and the Indian Mujahideen (IM) today visited the Bihar Legislative Assembly to meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and plead their innocence.

Accompanied with Independent MLA Pawan Jaiswal, who has extended support to Nitish Kumar government after JD(U)'s split with NDA, the two, Jameel Akhtar and Manjood Dewan came to the Assembly to plead their innocence before the chief minister. But, as the chief minister was not in the Assembly in the first-half the duo had to return back.

Both residents of Phulwaria under the Dhaka police station of east Champaran district, however, promised to come back and plead with Kumar to clear their names after a high-level inquiry or else they threatened to commit suicide. 

Akhtar is a mason while his kin Dewan is a bicycle repairer in the village, the MLA said. Jaiswal also claimed that Akhtar is his tenant in the village which is part of his Assembly constituency Dhaka.

Both Akhtar and Dewan claimed that they do not know state minister Shahid Ali Khan, who is also under the SSB scanner for his alleged links to the IM and the ISI.

The duo alleged that the SSB has named them in the "to settle an old issue over a disputed piece of land." Opposition BJP today took strong objection to allowing entry of the terror accused in the Assembly premises and introduce them to the CM and provide them a clean chit. "They have been accused of terror links by the SSB. What is the rationale of permitting them to come to Assembly to meet CM," leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav said. "The matter should be handed over to the NIA already probing two blasts case in Bodhgaya and at a rally of Narendra Modi in Patna on October 27 last year," he said.