Jehadi link: Madrassa teacher among 10 held by Assam Police

OUR BUREAU

GUWAHATI/BARPETA: The Assam Police arrested private madrassa teacher Mustafa Mufti today for his link with a jihadi organization in Bangladesh. The police also arrested nine others in connection with their links with jihadis, besides apprehending eight others in the past 24 hours.

After the arrest of Akhtar Hussain Borbhuyan of Katigorah from Bangaluru on the charge of his al-Qaeda link two days back, the Assam Police started their drive against jihadis, leading to the arrest of the ten from Guwahati, Morigaon, Barpeta, Goalpara etc.

Educated at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, Mustafa Mufti set up his private madrassa at Moirabari in the Morigaon district in 2018. Mufti has been getting funds from the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a Bangladesh-based jihadi organization, since 2020. The government closed the madrassa and asked the district authorities to make arrangements for the admission of the students to other schools.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "It is the first case of a direct link between a private madrassa and a jihadi organization. The government will delve deep into the matter and decide its course of action against the private madrassas in the state. In the past 24 hours, the police also busted a jihadi module active in the Barpeta district. A few jihadi outfits have been trying to create unrest in Bangladesh. Since Assam shares a long border with Bangladesh, we have its pitfall effects on the state. We are alert. We are determined to uproot the jehadi elements from the state with active support from the Centre." According to sources, sleeper cells of jihadis have been active in different areas in Assam to indoctrinate the Muslim population. They circulate and spread fundamentalist literature in the state.

The nine others arrested are Abbas Ali of Bongaigaon, Shahanur Alam of Hatigaon in Guwahati, Jubail Khan, Rafiqul Islam, Dewan Hamidul Islam, Moinul Haque, Kajibur Hussain, Shajahan Ali and Mujibur Rahman, all from Barpeta.

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