Student’s Arrest Sparks Campus Uproar

In Guwahati, the arrival of the parents of an IIT-Guwahati student, who allegedly declared allegiance to ISIS, has stirred attention. The student, Touseef Ali Farouqui, a fourth-year B Tech student in the Bioscience department, finds himself in police custody under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. They reached the city on Friday, heading straight to the police station where their son has been held for the past ten days. The police officer in charge declined to confirm whether the parents have had a chance to meet their son yet. The student was apprehended on March 23 in Hajo, Kamrup district, and subsequently arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and UAPA.

Parthasarathi Mahanta, the Inspector General of Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF), disclosed that following extensive interrogation, credible evidence linking the student to ISIS was found, leading to his arrest. The student is accused of pledging allegiance to the terrorist group.

Notably, the arrest occurred three days subsequent to the apprehension of Haris Farooqi, also known as Harish Ajmal Farukhi, the alleged head of ISIS India, along with his associate Anurag Singh, alias Rehan, in Dhubri district. Both were nabbed after crossing the border from Bangladesh. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mentioned that intelligence indicated two students from IIT-Guwahati were attempting to join ISIS, with one already in custody while efforts were underway to locate the other.

Both students originally hail from Delhi. Sarma indicated that central agencies have been alerted accordingly. Additional Superintendent of Police Kalyan Kumar Pathak informed reporters that the detained student had sent an email professing his intent to join ISIS. Notably, a black flag, purportedly resembling that of ISIS, was discovered in his hostel room and has been forwarded to specialized agencies for verification regarding its association with proscribed outfits.