Maharashtra police accused of intimidation at book launch of 7/11 blast acquittee’s memoir

Aurangabad: Organisers of a book launch event for the memoir of Ehtesham Siddiqui, one of the men acquitted in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case after nearly two decades in jail, have accused the Aurangabad city police of harassment and intimidation before and during the event, reported Maktoobmedia.

The event, held on Saturday evening at Baitul Yateem near Haj House on VIP Road, marked the Aurangabad re-launch of Horror Saga, a prison memoir written by Siddiqui while he was on death row at Nagpur Central Prison. The book, comprising 200 lyrical ballads, reflects on his years of torture, solitary confinement, and alleged fabrication of evidence by investigative agencies.

Siddiqui was among five men sentenced to death in 2015 under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The Bombay High Court overturned his conviction in July this year, declaring his 19-year incarceration wrongful.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Aurangabad chapter of the Innocence Network, which organised the event, alleged that local police repeatedly called the organisers in the days preceding the launch, urging them to cancel it. Officers also allegedly visited the venue owner to “inquire” about the programme.

On the day of the event, a police contingent was reportedly stationed around 200 metres from the venue, stopping several guests for questioning. Attendees were asked for their names, addresses, and reasons for attending. Those who said they were there for the book launch were allegedly warned that it was “dangerous” and linked to “bomb blast accused.”

Several invitees are said to have left following the questioning. Despite the police presence, the event went ahead peacefully, attended by around 50 people and concluding at 10 p.m.

Organisers claimed that no written orders, notices, or First Information Reports (FIRs) were issued to justify the police action. “The police acted without lawful authority — using coercion and intimidation to disrupt a peaceful, indoor event,” the group said, terming it a violation of the constitutional rights to free expression, assembly, and association.

The panel at the event included Siddiqui, former Aurangabad corporator and social worker Mohsin Ahmed, journalist Shareque Naqhbandi, social activist Faisal Khan, Begunah Qaidi author Dr Abdul Wahid, and former opposition leader of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan.

Speakers denounced Siddiqui’s prolonged imprisonment, demanded compensation and rehabilitation for all those acquitted in the 7/11 case, and urged the public to read Horror Saga “as an act of solidarity with the wrongfully convicted.”

The Innocence Network Aurangabad said it has written to the city’s Commissioner of Police, seeking a disciplinary inquiry into the officers’ conduct and their immediate suspension. “If the police fear being defamed by the truths in a book, they should reform themselves rather than target citizens acting within the law,” the statement said.

The group also called on the Maharashtra government to end intelligence surveillance and interference in legally organised public events.