Author: Jaya Menon
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: July 24, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/9187.html
Introduction: Ayurvedic massages for Abdul
Nasser Mahdani paid for by taxpayer, wife facing arrest warrant has free access,
no checks
One man has reason to laugh at all the tough
talk on the need to crack down on terror: Abdul Nasser Mahdani, key accused
in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts that targeted BJP leader L K Advani and
killed 58 people and left several more injured.
For, ever since he was sworn in as Chief Minister,
the atmosphere has been upbeat in the high-security prison here, housing Mahdani
and 166 Al Umma prisoners, mostly arrested for the Coimbatore blasts.
Thanks to Karunanidhi, a team of 10 masseurs
and four senior Ayurvedic doctors began their "high quality treatment"
on Mahdani, who has been housed in the prison's hospital wing since 2001.
The 35-day treatment, which began on July
5, costs nearly Rs 50,000, said K G Raveendran, medical director of the Aryavaidya
Chikiysalayam Research Institute, providing the specialized therapy for lumbar
and cervical spondylitis caused by strain on his spine. His right leg was
amputated some years back.
While the prison manual says that a prisoner
pays for the cost of any private medical treatment he avails, the Tamil Nadu
government is using taxpayers' money to pick up the bill for Mahdani's "dhara"
and "pizhichil" (the ayurvedic massages).
On instructions, the prison staff has provided
screens for the hospital ward where the PDP leader is undergoing treatment
to create the "appropriate atmosphere" for the VIP patient, who
has also been put on a special diet as prescribed by ayurvedic doctors.
But what has infuriated investigating officers
in the blast case is the move by the Chief Minister's Office to quietly lift
the ban under Section 268 CrPC, restricting Mahdani's movements within the
prison.
"Soon after the DMK came to power, there
were attempts to move him out of the prison and get him treatment outside,
preferably in Kerala. We strongly resisted such a move. With a friendly government
in Kerala, we can never hope of seeing him again, particularly when the trial
(in a special court) is likely to end in three months' time and a verdict
is expected soon," pointed out a senior police officer on the condition
that he be not named.
One of his first pro-Mahdani moves came just
hours after he was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on May 13. Karunanidhi
revoked the suspension of senior IAS officer, Syed Munir Hoda, and appointed
him his secretary.
It was Hoda who was Home Secretary when he
was suspended on July 30, 2004 by the Jayalalithaa regime for "attempting
to help" the PDP leader "without taking into confidence" the
then Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary.
Hoda was also accused of discreetly lifting
the ban on Mahdani's movements for a week while he underwent treatment at
the KG Hospital in Coimbatore in 2002. When his reaction was sought Hoda declined
to comment, and referred the matter to the state Home Secretary Pravin Raina.
Raina could not be reached for his comments.
"Surely, there is a palpable change among
the blast accused in the prison. They are happier. We think this government
is far more humane," M H Abdur Rehman, one of the lawyers defending Mahdani
told The Indian Express.
The accused are taken to the special court
trying the bomb blast case almost everyday.
The Jayalalithaa regime had taken precautions
to conduct surprise checks to ensure that none of the "banned" items
find their way in.
But under the new dispensation, the mandatory
surprise raids and checks on the HS (High Security) Block, which houses the
blast accused, have dramatically reduced, a senior jail employee said.
On July 6, the DMK government quietly permitted
Soofiya, Mahdani's wife to sit in on her husband's treatment for two hours
as ayurvedic principles demanded that "someone close" to the patient
administer the "internal" medicines. This, despite an arrest warrant
pending against Soofiya in a case relating to her allegedly smuggling in a
SIM card for her husband.
The Coimbatore Race Course police station
registered cases against her under Sections 353 and 506 (ii) of IPC for "obstructing
a public servant from discharging his duty" and "criminal intimidation."
She subsequently left for Kerala and after
that returned for the first time on July 6. The previous day, her lawyer moved
the Madras High Court for anticipatory bail and obtained a direction granting
her two weeks' time to appear before the Coimbatore judicial magistrate.
In fact, in the pre-blast days, the DMK, then
ruling Tamil Nadu (1996-2001), was accused of flirting with Muslim militancy
and turning a blind eye to the activities of Jehadi groups like the Al Umma.
Some of the outfit's key members, including
S A Basha, former Al Umma president, Mohammed Ansari, who anointed himself
as the outfit's president following a power struggle, and Basha's son Siddiq
Ali are now among the 167 accused in the case and lodged in the Coimbatore
prison.
Incidentally, in the recent Assembly election,
the performance of the DMK and its allies was the worst in Coimbatore. They
won just four of the 14 Assembly seats in the district. It seems the rich
textile town is yet to forgive the DMK for its February 14 nightmare.
(Tomorrow: Why comrades and Congress love
him in Kerala)
The VVIP prisoner
o Accused No. 14 Mahdani is one of the key
conspirators in the Coimbatore bomb blasts case
o Accused of collecting and transferring explosives
to the town, ripped by a series of bomb blasts on February 14, 1998
o Charged under Sections 302 IPC (Murder),
307 IPC (Attempt to Murder), 153-A IPC (Creating hatred among communities),
Section 5 of the Explosives Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act
jaya.menon@expressindia.com
