Kolkata:
Shariful Islam Shehzad – the illegal migrant from Bangladesh accused of stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan last week during a home invasion – is a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, his father, Mohammed Ruhul Amin, said Friday in a telephone conversation with NDTV.
Mr Amin said his son – whom he described as 30 years old, with a “heavy” face and long hair, and insisted is not the man Mumbai Police have arrested – fled Bangladesh in March last year.
Police sources told NDTV earlier Shehzad entered India via Meghalaya – he crossed the Dawki River – and stayed in Bengal for a few weeks before making his way to Mumbai in search of a job.
Speaking to NDTV today, his father seemed to suggest Shehzad fled to escape political persecution at the hands of the then-ruling Awami League of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was deposed in August and is also in India. Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s BNP was then in the opposition.
“Felt He Couldn’t Live In Bangladesh”
“My son went to India in 2024… in the last week of March or first week of April. He had only intention. For 16 years the Hasina government was in power. There were false cases… even mobile theft cases (against him). The political atmosphere was bad (and) my son felt he could not live in the country.”
“So then, at that time, he decided to go to India (to find a job),” he said.
The authorities – who say they have recovered Bangladeshi government documents confirming Shehzad’s nationality – believe he has since been living in India under the name Bijoy Das.
READ | Entered India Illegally, Changed Name: How Saif’s Attacker Hid
Asked if Shehzad fled because of the cases against him, Mr Amin said, “No, he did not.”
“There was (also) a lot of torture. There were cases against him for no crimes. My two sons and I work for the BNP… I hold a post and there were a lot of false cases (against me also).”
“Man In CCTV Footage Not My Son”
Mr Amin also insisted the man caught on CCTV cameras at Saif Ali Khan’s residence – whom the police arrested from Thane Sunday, after tracking him down thanks to a UPI payment for a paratha and some water – is not his son. “The CCTV pictures are not of my son,” he told NDTV.
READ | Paid For Paratha With UPI: How Cops Caught Saif Attack Suspect
“His age is 30. From an early age, his face is heavy, and he has hair on both sides (but it is short) … In the photo (the CCTV footage) the hair reaches till the eyes. That kind of hair is not my son’s. (So) no, it is not him,” he said, repeating what he told news agency IANS a day earlier.
(L) CCTV footage of the suspect, (R) Shariful Shehzad, accused of stabbing Saif
“… my son never keeps his hair long. I believe my son is being framed,” he had said.
READ | “Man On CCTV Doesn’t Look Like My Son’: Saif’s Attacker’s Father
He also indicated then Shehzad worked in the hospitality industry; he noted the hotels in Mumbai were larger and paid better than in Bengal, or Kolkata, which led many to that belief.
And when NDTV asked him if police from India had informed him of his son’s arrest, he said: “No. No one has come. We don’t know anyone in India. We have no support there.”
Political Squabbles
Shehzad’s Bangladeshi nationality has also triggered a political row between the BJP-led alliance in power in Maharashtra and the opposition. This week BJP leader and Maharashtra Ports Minister Nitesh Rane suggested the attack on Mr Khan was ‘not real’, and seemed to refer to him as “garbage”.
“Look at what Bangladeshis are doing in Mumbai. They entered Saif Ali Khan’s house. Earlier they used to stand at road crossings… now they are entering houses. Maybe he came to take him (Mr Khan) away. It is good… garbage should be taken away,” he said.
The Bangladeshi nationality angle has fed into a ongoing row between the BJP and the opposition over border security. The latter has alleged the thousands trying to cross illegally since Sheikh Hasina was overthrown are being courted by the opposition, including Bengal’s ruling Trinamool, as a vote bank.
Court Extends Police Custody
A Mumbai court, this afternoon, extended police custody of Shehzad till January 29. The court said the cops needed more time to recover crucial evidence, including some of his clothing.
READ | Saif Ali Khan Attacker Jailed For 5 Days, Claims He Is Being Framed
Like his father, Shehzad’s lawyer has been equally insistent his client is innocent, and is being made a scapegoat in response to furore over the attack on a prominent celebrity living in Bandra West – one of Mumbai’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. However, according to some reports, Shehzad has confessed (which is not admissible in court), telling cops, “…haan, maine hi kiya hai (yes, I did it)”.
Saif Ali Khan suffered six stab wounds, including one near his spinal cord, in the attack, and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. He was discharged five days later and is back home.
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