Mumbai, March 9: A 21-year-old engineering student arrested in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) told a special court on Monday that officials of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) were allegedly pressuring him to confess to the charges and sign incriminating statements.
“I have done nothing,” Ayan Sheikh told the court, alleging that investigators were forcing him to admit to the accusations against him.
Sheikh was produced before the special court following the completion of his initial ATS custody in a case linked to alleged online activities and radicalisation efforts associated with the proscribed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Opposing the ATS’s plea for further remand, defence lawyer Ibrahim Harbat argued that the allegations against his client were false. He submitted that merely being a member of a Telegram group does not constitute grounds for arrest under the UAPA.
However, the prosecution sought additional custody of the accused until March 12, arguing that the investigation into a sprawling digital network is still in its nascent stages. The agency submitted that two mobile phones and a laptop seized from Sheikh are currently undergoing forensic scrutiny, and that the accused allegedly operated eight separate email IDs and multiple social media accounts that are yet to be fully examined.
Investigators specifically highlighted Sheikh’s activity on a Telegram channel named “Islamic Politics,” where content allegedly promoting banned organisations was being circulated. According to the ATS, Sheikh had been active on the platform for several months, participating in debates characterised as "anti-establishment" and "anti-national," alleging that the discourse frequently moved beyond religious topics into targeting the sovereignty of the state.
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According to the ATS, the channel had participants from different parts of the world, including alleged sympathisers from across the border. The agency alleged that several posts promoting JeM were shared in the group and that Sheikh had “liked” such posts and tagged other members, prompting them to read the content.
The ATS told the court that the group had multiple participants and that further information about the individuals involved needs to be obtained through Sheikh as part of the ongoing investigation.
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