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Chargesheets filed against Al Umma leaders

The Tamil Nadu police today filed chargesheets against eight of the nine accused in the murder of traffic constable Selvaraj on November 29 last year. Those charged include Mohamed Ansari, general secretary of the banned Al Umma and Siddiq Ali, son of S A Basha, founder leader of the Al Umma.

The other accused charge-sheeted were Abu Thagir, Asif, Abbas, Mohamed Safi, Tada Aslam and Samsudin. The ninth accused, Sahul Hameed, was killed in police firing on November 30, 1997.

Sixty-three people have been cited as witnesses in the chargesheet, which ran to 250 pages. It was filed before judicial magistrate S T Tamil Selvi.

The murder of the constable sparked communal violence lasting a week in November and December last year. Twenty people were killed and many were injured. The army was called in to maintain law and order in the city as policemen struck work for two days in protest against the murder of their colleague.

Taking advantage of it, anti-social elements went on a looting spree and indulged in large-scale arson in which property worth tens of millions was destroyed.

Though the situation was brought under control with the help of the army and peace was restored, the city was rocked by serial bomb blasts on February 14 in which 60 people were killed and over 200 injured.

The Al Umma has been accused of organising the blasts in retaliation to the killing of Muslims during the riots in November and December and a preliminary charge-sheet has already been filed against 166 Al Umma functionaries, including its founder-leader S A Basha, in the serial blasts case.

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