The arrests are part of the ongoing investigation into the blast and the subsequent encounter in Lucknow of terror suspect Mohammed Saifullah
The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday arrested two more suspects, including a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, in connection with the Ujjain train blast, allegedly carried out by a local module inspired by the ideology of the IS.
Ghaus Mohammad Khan, 56, who took voluntary retirement from IAF in 1993 as corporal, was arrested from Lucknow, while 24-year-old Mohammad Azhar was arrested in Kanpur.
The arrests are part of the ongoing investigation into the blast and the subsequent encounter in Lucknow of terror suspect Mohammed Saifullah. The UP and MP police have arrested six suspects of a terror module. Police officials said that on interrogation, further leads pointed towards Ghaus Khan, who is believed to have acted as a motivator for the group and Azhar for helping in collecting weapons.
On Tuesday, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in a train in Ujjain, which injured 10 passengers, triggered a multi-agency investigation, involving central intelligence agencies, and the UP, MP and Telangana police. It led to a 12-hour operation in Lucknow, with the ATS killing Saifullah. Police officers said that the house rented by Saifullah and his three associates, now arrested, had a cache of arms, ammunition, cash, passports and the IS flag.
The encounter created a furore as the UP police termed Saifullah a "highly radicalised" member of the IS' branch in Afghanistan-Pakistan, known as IS Khorasan Province. With no clinching evidence, the UP police claimed that the blast was carried out by alleged members of the ISKP.
After the Ministry of Home Affairs castigated the UP police for its hurried conclusion in naming IS, the narrative swiftly changed to the suspects being inspired by IS ideology.
Incidentally, on Thursday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that it was too early to blame the IS. His speech omitted any mention of the suspects being influenced by the IS or contacting ISKP members.
Meanwhile, questions have been raised on the Lucknow encounter. A delegation of legal aid and advocacy group Rihai Manch visited Haji Colony, in Thakurganj, part of old Lucknow, where the encounter took place. "After talking to eyewitnesses and residents, their accounts are in countenance with that of the police version,'' said Rajiv Yadav, Rihai Manch, Lucknow president. He added that locals informed that they agreed to play mediators and convince Saifullah to surrender, but the police rejected their plea.
While the police claimed that Saifullah was shot down late at night as he continued to fire on the forces, locals believe he died around 5 pm when an ambulance was brought in. "Police fired powerful chilli bombs which makes one nauseous, yet the suspect refused to come out of the small house, and neighbours in the colony said the faint traces of the bomb had made them uneasy and breathless. Saifullah continued to stay till the police drilled the walls and forcefully entered. The sequence of events leading to the killing appears dodgy,'' Yadav said.
Saifullah's father, Sartaj, while refusing to claim the body of his son, demanded an investigation.
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