Arrested IIT Student Told Family He Won't Study, Had Other Plans: Father

The father of the arrested IIT-Guwahati student, who had allegedly pledged allegiance to terror group ISIS, on Tuesday said his son had spoken to his family members in Delhi that he would not continue with his studies and had other plans.

The accused Touseef Ali Farouqui, a fourth-year B Tech student of the Bioscience department was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on March 24. He is now in police custody.

''I live in Siwan in Bihar but he was with my wife in Delhi. My son had told her about not continuing with his studies as he had other plans,'' the student's father Asmat Ali Farouqui told reporters outside a court where his son was brought for some formality.

He will be produced in the court on Wednesday when his police remand ends.

''Definitely, there was something which his mother knew about but kept that hidden from the others,'' the senior Farouqui said.

His wife who also came to the court did not speak to the media.

The student's father claimed that the police did not allow him to talk to his son during the day.

His parents had arrived here on Friday and had gone to the police station where he was lodged to meet him the next day.

His father did not say anything about what transpired during the meeting.

The senior Farouqui denied speculations that he is separated with his wife and said he lived in Bihar to look after his agricultural land.

The accused was detained on March 23 at Hajo in Kamrup district and arrested the next day under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and UAPA.

Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF) Inspector General Parthasarathi Mahanta had earlier said that after interrogating him, police found credible evidence of his links with ISIS and he was arrested.

The student was detained three days after the ISIS India head Haris Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi and his associate Anurag Singh alias Rehan were arrested in Dhubri district after they had crossed over from Bangladesh.

STF Additional Superintendent of Police Kalyan Kumar Pathak had told reporters that the student had sent an email, in which he claimed that he was on the way to join ISIS.

A black flag, "apparently similar to that of ISIS", was found in his hostel room and has been sent for verification to specialised agencies which deal with proscribed outfits.