Organizers of a book launch in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, have accused local police of harassment and intimidation in the days leading up to and during the event. The launch featured the memoir of Ehtesham Siddiqui, one of the individuals acquitted after nearly two decades of wrongful imprisonment for the 2006 Mumbai train blasts.
Held on Saturday evening at Baitul Yateem near Haj House on VIP Road, the event marked the Aurangabad re-launch of Horror Saga, a memoir written by Siddiqui during his time on death row at Nagpur Central Prison. The book, consisting of 200 lyrical ballads, details his experiences of torture, isolation, and allegations of evidence fabrication by investigative agencies.
Siddiqui was sentenced to death in 2015 under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) but was acquitted by the Bombay High Court in July 2023 after spending 19 years in prison.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Aurangabad chapter of the Innocence Network, which organized the launch, claimed that police made multiple calls urging them to cancel the event. Officers allegedly visited the venue owner to inquire about the gathering.
On the day of the launch, police reportedly stationed a contingent approximately 200 meters from the venue and halted several attendees for questioning. Guests were asked for their names, addresses, and reasons for attending. Attendees who identified themselves as participants in the book release were allegedly informed that the event was “dangerous” and associated with “bomb blast accused.”
Reports indicate that some invitees left after facing questioning. Nonetheless, the event proceeded without incident, attracting around 50 attendees and concluding at 10 p.m.
The organizers stated that no written orders, notices, or First Information Reports (FIRs) were issued to justify the police actions. “The police acted without lawful authority—using coercion and intimidation to disrupt a peaceful, indoor event,” the statement from Innocence Network Aurangabad read, describing the conduct as a violation of constitutional rights to free expression, assembly, and association.
The event featured speakers including Siddiqui, former Aurangabad corporator and social worker Mohsin Ahmed, journalist Shareque Naqhbandi, social activist Faisal Khan, Begunah Qaidi author Dr. Abdul Wahid, and Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan, a former opposition leader of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation.
Speakers voiced their condemnation of Siddiqui’s prolonged incarceration and called for state compensation and rehabilitation for all acquitted in the 7/11 case. They encouraged the public to read Horror Saga “as an act of solidarity with the wrongfully convicted.”
Innocence Network Aurangabad has submitted a complaint to the Commissioner of Police, Aurangabad, demanding a disciplinary investigation into the officers’ actions and their immediate suspension. “If the police are concerned about being discredited by the truths in a book, they should reform themselves rather than target citizens acting within the law,” the statement concluded. The organization also urged the Maharashtra government to halt intelligence surveillance and interference in legally organized events.
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