Kazmi's supporters protest his innocence in bomb attack

Syed Mohammed Ahmed Kazmi’s family members and several social activists held a day-long demonstration at Parliament Street on Monday and reiterated that the 52-year-old freelance journalist was falsely implicated by  Delhi Police.

Kazmi, who works for Radio Tehran and Iran's official news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), was arrested on March 6 for allegedly providing logistic support to at least three Iranian nationals to carry out a bomb attack on Israeli diplomat Tal Yehoshua Koren’s car in Delhi on February 13. Koren, her driver and two others were injured.

However, Kazmi’s eldest son Sahuzab reiterated that his father was innocent and was not involved in any “illegal work”.

“My father is being implicated in this conspiracy by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. They do not have any evidence to prove the serious charges leveled against him,” Sahuzab said while addressing a small crowd gathered at the venue.

The 21-year-old also claimed that the police had sought to transfer Kazmi to judicial custody without informing his family or their lawyer.

“First they asked for an unusually long 20-day police custody and now before the term even got over, they told court that my father was not required for further interrogation. It once again proves that the allegations being made against him are false,” Sahuzab added.

Independent Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Adeeb, urged the protestors to ask for removal of Israeli embassy from the country and asked the community to stop being complacent to such incidences.

"This is just the beginning. Earlier they caught Muslim youth who had dubious reputations, then they started catching ordinary Muslim youngsters and now they have started picking up even reputed people like Kazmi. If we do not act, I am sure that no one will be spared from such atrocities," Adeeb said.

Kazmi was arrested at around 11.30 am on March 6 from outside India Islamic Cultural Centre in south Delhi’s Lodhi Road.

After questioning he was booked under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and under section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

He was produced before Tis Hazari court on March 7, which remanded him to police custody till March 27. However, in a surprise move, the Special Investigation Team of Delhi Police had on Saturday presented Kazmi at Tis Hazari Court and surrendered his custody.

Police said he was not needed for further interrogation and more information would be gathered only after the arrest of other accused in the case. Chief metropolitan magistrate Vinod Yadav later sent the 52-year-old to judicial custody till April 7.