Arrested Afghan national can speak Kannada too

Ghulam Rasool alias Khan Mirza, who was apprehended while trying to sneak into Bangladesh from Bihar, is said to be a polyglot who can converse proficiently in seven Indian languages.

Taken on remand for five days and being interrogated for his close links with terrorist groups, Mirza has so far outwitted many of his interrogators, which include two DSP-rank police officials. Showing his exceptional legal acumen in the court where he was produced, Mirza admitted that he could talk in Urdu, Persian, Hindi, English, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.

Displaying no sign of remorse, this suspected militant did not bat an eyelid while admitting before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Purnia, that he was an Afghan Taliban and had come to Bihar via Nepal.

Lodged in the Purnia district jail amid tight security, Mirza has, however, put the prison department officials in a fix by asking for two kg of mutton and one kg of chicken daily in his meal.

Officials posted at the Purnia jail said Mirza refused to take vegetarian food served to him for two days. “I am a habitual meat-eater, and cannot survive without mutton and chicken in my meal daily,” Mirza reportedly told the jail warder.

“Like other prisoners, Mirza was also served meal as per the jail manual. We may consider his demand if there is any specific instruction from the court,” said IG (Prisons) Dilip Kumar when asked for his comments about the Afghan national’s wayward behaviour.