Book release decision after Jamiat's nod, says acquitted Mufti

Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the 2002 Akshardham terror attack case, said here today that he would decide about releasing his book after approval from the Jamiat-E-Ulema-E-Islami.
Mansuri, who resides in the communally sensitive Dariyapur area here, had postponed the release of his book earlier, after giving an undertaking to a local police station, which had refused to permit the book release event last Thursday.
Clarifying about the issue, Mufti said that his book has not been banned by the government, and the police merely needed an assurance that no inflammatory messages would be made at the book release event.

"The police had some apprehensions about the book release event. So I myself decided to postpone the release and gave an assurance to police. Thereafter, nobody approached me about what I have decided about the book release," Mufti said.
"I am in discussion with office bearers of the Jamiat-E-Ulema-E-Islami about this issue. They will decide about how to go ahead and inform me after arriving at a decision about the date of release," Mufti said.
Mufti wrote a book titled 'Gyarah Saal Salankho Ke Peechhe' (eleven years behind bars) in Urdu with a Gujarati transcription, which was scheduled to be released on April 16, but the police authorities had denied permission.

In the 225-page book, he has penned down his agony and the atrocities in police custody and the jail term.
On May 16 last year, the Supreme Court acquitted Mufti and five others in the Akshardham temple terror attack case. Originally, he was awarded a life term by a special trial court and it was confirmed by the High Court.