29-year-old Jamesha Mubin, a resident of Ukkadam, has become a household name in Tamil Nadu since October 23, the eve of Diwali. Mubin is the primary suspect in the Coimbatore blast case which has garnered significant attention from the public. The ruling Dravida Munethra Kazgham (DMK) and the opposition BJP and AIADMK, have been at loggerheads over the issue as the blast took a communal overturn.
Timeline of events
On 23 October, residents of Kottaimedu in Coimbatore were met with a rude shock as a car exploded in front of the Sangameswarar temple at 4 am. The explosion was caused by one of the two LPG cylinders kept inside the vehicle.
The blast site was cordoned off before 5 am. Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu investigated the issue for two days along with six special teams. Shortly after the investigation, it was discovered that the victim of the blast was a man named Jameesha Mubin.
On October 24, five men said to be accomplices of the suspect Mubin were arrested. Mubin’s cousin Muhammed Azharuddin, 25, was apprehended by the cops and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was invoked against them.
Firoz Ismail, 27, Nawaz Ismail, 25, and Muhammed Riyas, 27, men who supposedly helped Mubin stuff the car with vats of explosive substances like sulphur, potassium nitrate, aluminium powder and a fuse were also taken in by the officials. Muhammed Talha, 25, who allegedly sold the car to Mubin was arrested as well.
The arrest of the five men was made after analysing CCTV footage. The visuals from the footage show the five men carrying a large object wrapped in a white sack.
On October 27, the sixth suspect in the case, 28-year-old Afsar Khan, a relative of Mubin was also arrested. Khan is accused of procuring the raw materials needed for the explosion, from e-commerce websites.
The visuals show the five accused along with Mubin, carrying what is assumed to be a heavy object wrapped in a white sack from Mubin’s residence at HMPR street in Kottaimedu. The video’s time stamp shows the men in the narrow alley carrying the sack at 11:30 pm, which is roughly five hours before the blast took place.
Shortly after Afsar Khan’s arrest on October 27, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the investigation after the Tamil Nadu government recommended it.
It was later discovered that Mubin and two of the accused had allegedly conducted a recce of three temples including the Sangameswar temple.
Political parties and police officials in Tamil Nadu at loggerheads after the blast
On October 29, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu’s state president K Annamalai accused the Tamil Nadu police of sitting on a “very specific alert” from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. He said that the police took four days to issue the alert to district police officers on October 21.
He further argued that Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, who also holds the home portfolio, must answer as to why no action was taken even though the alert was issued on October 18. He said if he were to release the documents, it would be “explosive and several officers will lose their jobs”.
He argued that there was a delay in transferring the case to NIA. He further claimed that he had evidence in his possession which proved that the AIADMK had kept Mubin under surveillance on information from the NIA. “The DMK relaxed the surveillance of certain individuals after assuming office. The alert from the Centre on October 18 was specific. It is unclear why the police ignored it.”
The TN police responded and accused Annamalai of trying to divert the probe by defaming the police. They further stated that the circular received from the Union government was shared with all city and district police officials and did not mention anything particular about Coimbatore.
“If Tamil Nadu police had received any hints about the Coimbatore incident in specific, then it would have conducted raids, seized the explosives and arrested the people involved in the matter,” a press release from the TN police department read.
Even Tamil Nadu’s Governor, RN Ravi expressed his dissatisfaction over the state government’s delay in handling the case and expressed concern over the possible destruction of crucial evidence. While appreciating the police, Ravi found fault with the government in transferring the case to the NIA.
According to the police, the alleged aim was not to target the Sangameswarar temple, but a bigger one nearby.
Who is Jamesha Mubin?
Jamesha Mubin was a mechanical engineering graduate who married Nasarat Mubin (a hearing and speech-impaired woman) in 2017.
Nasarat, with the help of a sign language interpreter, informed to the Coimbatore police that when she visited Jamesha just “four days before” the blast, she saw only one LPG cylinder in an otherwise empty house.
The police also discovered 109 items from his residence including 75 kilograms of explosives which the cops argue were used to cause widespread damage.
According to the police, Mubin is said to have been influenced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Sri Lankan Easter bombings of 2019.
Mubin used to work in a bookstore owned by Hani Idayattullah, an accused that the NIA arrested in connection with the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka. After the store was shut down, Mubin went on to do odd jobs.
Mubin, according to material objects, including his diaries and notes allegedly recovered from his home, was radicalised, according to the police. The police also state that he had an aversion towards other religions, especially idolatry. Mubin was not a part of any Jamaat or any masjid congregation.
A bunch of handwritten notes recovered from Jamesha Mubin’s house on November 3 allegedly contained hadiths (chain of records of the words preached by Prophet Muhammad) and jihad (fight against enemies of Islam).
One note from Mubin’s residence reads, “Humans are divided into Muslims and non-Muslims (kafirs).” Apart from that, the police had also found a note on who has the duty of jihad, and who does not have such a duty. The police also reportedly found a slate with the ISIS flag logo drawn on it. Another slate had ‘Whoever lays hands on Allah’s house, we will destroy them’ written on it.
An officer speaking to The Times of India also informed that Mubin, on a piece of paper wrote that it was the duty of the youth- not children or the elderly- to wage a holy war.
My son is innocent, claims accused Muhammed Talha’ mother
25-year-old Talha’s mother, Hafsat Biwi, has been claiming that her son was not aware of the terror plot. “He merely sold the car because he worked as a used cars dealer,” she said. However, the police said that Talha had not maintained records of the sale. “The car was owned by at least nine people prior to Mubin. Talha sold the car to him but kept the transaction secret. Hence we suspect that he was aiding the operation,” a senior police officer said.
The case is currently being investigated by the National Investigative Agency. Siasat.com will keep abreast of any new developments which come through.
