Team Herald
Vasco: Terror suspect Samir Sardana, who has been released on bail, has accused the Goa Police and Anti-Terrorism Squad of torturing and attempting to frame him, besides defaming his family. He has also claimed that his arrest was unwarranted and that people are now treating him like a terrorist. He added that he would consult his father before deciding whether to file a defamation case against the police.
Sardana, who was in Vasco on Wednesday to seek the release of his belongings, met newsmen near the JMFC and addressed every allegation against him.
“Although I have been released on bail, hoteliers are still refusing to let out their rooms to me, while others keep staring at me as if I am a terrorist. All this is happening because Goa Police arrested me on the flimsy ground of suspicion, which they cannot prove even after using torture. Once I meet my father, I will take a call on whether to file a defamation case against Goa police,” said Samir.
He continued, “The case started when I noticed that somebody stayed in a room under my name at the Vasco railway station from January 11 to 13. However, at that same time, I was staying at the Konkan Railway Corporation dormitory and I have the receipt of the same. It can even be verified with the CCTV footage at the Margao railway station dormitory area. I went to the staffs at Vasco railway station to ask for details of the man who stayed at the railway dormitory using my name. Instead of giving me details, they lodged a false complaint against me.”
He added, “On the allegation that I used to keep my door locked, I want to clarify that as a consultant, I used to download data and read the same in a peaceful atmosphere.”
Regarding the news report that he is a Hindu but practices Islam, he stated, “I am not a convert; I am only a student of Islamic philosophy and theology.”
and metaphysics, which are three branches of Islamic studies. I was supposed to use the same information for my blogs. I am Hindu, but have the choice of getting inclined towards any religion to understand the philosophy of that particular religion”.
Sardana further said that the ATS claimed to have found sensitive information that was against national security. He stated, “I want to clear that from what they seized, there was just a USB drive and a CD on which there were some information, which I can justify with business reasons. It is true that the CD had some information on uranium and other chemical substances, but the same was old data downloaded years back because I was part of an Indo-US nuclear deal; we were dealing in defence equipment during a 2008 deal.”
“Similarly, there were claims of suspicious mail found in my mailbox. I confess that I have a habit of mocking several institutions and I often writes mails, even like the one I wrote to the present defence minister of India, because I did not agreeing to one of his statements.”
When asked why he used to visit Goa often, he said, “As a management consultant, I wanted to crack a consultancy deal in Mumbai. Instead of going back to Dehradun and coming back again, I decided to come to Goa, which is close by. The reason I used a dormitory was because my bag is full of books and other research material, which is heavy to carry. I used to keep the same in the cloak room and use the dormitory as my stay was always for a short period.”
On the allegation that he had surveyed public places and other vital structures in Vasco, he stated, “I had worked in IOC, Coal India, GAIL and even a textile company which used to store sodium chloride in their yard, and what would I get by looking at some fuel dumps?”
