After the arrest of IIT Guwahati student Tauseef Ali Farooqui for alleging support for ISIS and declaring his intention to join Islamic terror group, police launched a massive search operation in the IIT campus in North Guwahati. Assam Police STF suspects that more students in the premier institution can be linked to ISIS. During the searches, police zeroed in one student, and detained him for questioning.
This student is named Sohail Ur Rahman, and he is from Jammu. As per reports, Sohail is a resident of Lohit hostel of IIT Guwahati, and is a friend of arrested Tauseef. Sohail is being questioned by Assam police STF led by additional superintendent of police Kalyan Kumar Pathak.
However, as per latest reports, Sohail was being questioned in the hostel itself, and has not been taken to the police station. He could be arrested later after more information is gathered.
Notably, earlier in the day, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that another student was under the radar for suspected terror links, and would be arrested soon.
With a second student suspected of having links with ISIS, a possibility has grown that there could have been an attempt to form a module of ISIS in IIT Guwahati. Reportedly, several other students and even some teachers are under close surveillance over the matter.
In the meanwhile, Tauseef Ali Farooqui has been send to police custody of 10 days after he was presented before a court. It has been learnt that Tauseef is deeply religious, and performs daily five namaz as per Islam. He used to regularly study Quran in hostel.
Tauseef is a Biotechnology student and has already completed his course. He was on the campus to attend the convocation ceremony.
During the questioning, he said that he has not joined ISIS, but supports the group. Talking about him, CM Sarma said that from his answers it is clear that he is completely radicalised, and there could be others like him in the institution.
Parents of Tauseef reached Guwahati today after they were informed about the development by Assam Police.
Notably, Tauseef had gone missing after posting an open letter on LinkedIn expressing his support to ISIS on 23rd March. However, he was spotted waiving a black Islamic flag and chanting Islamic slogans in the Damdama area in Hajo near Guwahati in the evening yesterday. When he was questioned by Hindu Jagran Manch’ members, he revealed that he supports ISIS, after which he was caught and handed over to police.