Zakariya, a Muslim youth from Kerala, was arrested by the Karnataka Police at the age of 19 under the draconian UAPA in connection with the 2008 Bengaluru bomb blasts. On 5 February 2025, he completed 16 years in prison without a conviction.
The prolonged legal battle to secure his release has taken a severe toll on his ailing mother, Beyummah, a resident of Parappanangadi in Malappuram district.
Five years ago, the single mother, now in her sixties, moved the Supreme Court of India, challenging the UAPA and its amendments. Her Public Interest Litigation (PIL) sought to declare the law “unconstitutional and violative of fundamental rights.”
“What happened to us should never happen to anyone else,” Beyummah told Maktoob about the petition.
“How is he ever going to rebuild his life?” she asked, lamenting that Zakariya has already spent half his life behind bars.
Beyummah lost her husband, Koniyathu Veetil Kunjahammed, when Zakariya—the youngest of her four children—was just 10 years old. Since then, she has been supported by her brothers.
Zakariya, who had dropped out of a B.Com program, took a short-term course in electronics to support his family. He initially worked at a mobile shop in Kondotty before shifting to another shop in Tirur for a more convenient commute.
According to Beyummah, days before his arrest, Kerala Police visited their home, inquiring about Zakariya. They claimed it was related to his passport application.
“I was certain he hadn’t applied for a passport,” Beyummah recalled. The next day, police met Zakariya and assured him there was nothing to worry about. He went to work as usual, only to be taken away.
On 5 February 2009, Karnataka Police picked up Zakariya from Tirur and transported him to Bengaluru without informing the local police.
“He called on the fourth day. He had no idea what had happened to him. He said he was taken by the police,” Beyummah remembered. The family was intimidated by authorities and warned against speaking publicly about his arrest, as it could “narrow the chances of his release.”
Zakariya’s story reached civil rights groups through Abdul Nasar Madani, a renowned Islamic scholar and chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who is also a prime suspect in the case. This intervention helped Beyummah find solidarity and support.
“They must have been terrified by police surveillance, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Beyummah said, forgiving the initial inaction from others. Eventually, Zakariya’s friends and various organizations formed the Free Zakariya Action Forum, bringing public attention to his case.
After seven years in jail, Zakariya was granted parole for two days in 2016 to attend his brother Shareef’s wedding. A year later, he returned on parole once again—this time to attend the funeral of the same brother.
Zakariya is the eighth accused in the 2008 Bengaluru blasts, in which one person was killed. He is allegedly linked to the making of bomb timers.
His cousin Shuhaib has been relentless in asserting Zakariya’s innocence and advocating for his release since the arrest. “It was Shuhaib’s efforts that brought public attention to the case,” said Advocate Hashir K, who made a docu-fiction film on Zakariya. Shuhaib exposed flaws in the chargesheet that suggested Zakariya’s innocence.
Two key witnesses, Haridasan and Nizamudeen, later retracted their statements, claiming they had been coerced into signing documents in Kannada, which were then falsely translated by the police.
Shuhaib admitted to helping Zakariya secure his job in Kondotty—the very place from which police claim he was involved in the crime.
“Police know he will be acquitted, but they keep him in custody to ensure the integrity of their investigation is never questioned,” said Sameer. While some of the arrested individuals were released through plea deals, Zakariya refused a similar offer.
“Zakariya told me about the deals offered by the police,” said Hashir. “The willpower of this man and his commitment to seeking justice in an honorable way is humbling.”
Source : Maktoobmedia.com