This fidayeen came with an ID card

JeM identity proof helps convict terrorist; sent to seven years in jail

It's not always that a terrorist comes to town screaming his identity. But that's exactly what Abdul Barik Mandal, a terrorist convicted in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid attack case, did. As he left for his "assignment" in Ayodhya, he left identity cards proving his link with the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) at home. And these ID cards helped the law-enforcing agencies to jail him for seven years.

Mandal was arrested from New Delhi Railway Station for his role in the July 2005 fidayeen attack by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. Interrogation revealed that Mandal was a member of JeM and had come to Delhi on the direction of his handler in Bangladesh, Anwar Jubed.

His statement was recorded and subsequently, three identity cards were recovered from his native place at Gacha, Bashir Hat, North 24 Parganas in West Bengal.

"The recovery of three identity cards - Ex P1, P2 and P3 - from the room of the accused at Basher Hat, proves he was a member of the JeM. If the accused was not a member of such a terrorist organisation, then how was he carrying his own identity card as well as two other cards of his colleagues?" asked the public prosecutor.

However, Abdul's counsel M S Khan contested that ID cards could be faked. "There is no evidence to presume that the accused had any thing to do with the JeM. Identity cards can be easily prepared with the help of a computer and the Delhi Police Special Cell has a well-equipped cyber lab," said Khan.

The court of Pratibha Rani, ASJ, Tis Hazari Court, accepted the arguments of the prosecution and pronounced its verdict, "Taking into consideration the nature of offence for which the convict has been convicted, his family circumstances and the fact that he is in judicial custody since his arrest in this case he is awarded rigorous imprisonment for seven years."

I Card details
"The identity card Ex P3 says Abdul Baki Mandal, code-named Nasir, was the JeM area commander of Bengal. His address has been mentioned as Bhashir Hat, Bengal, and the date of issue is February, 2005," said sub-inspector Vinay Tyagi in his statement.
The card was produced by the Delhi police as a documentary proof of his connection with the JeM.