Coimbatore: As many as 20 members belonging to nine families on Monday petitioned both the district collector, T N Hariharan, and the city police commissioner, K Periaiah, saying the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had been targeting and harassing them in the name of ongoing probe into the murder of Hindu Munnani spokesperson C Sasikumar.They said despite cooperating with the investigation agency, the case had been transferred from Hyderabad branch of NIA to Kochi branch of NIA. Investigators from Kochi have reportedly summoned them again for questioning.The nine families, including that of the accused Syed Abu Tahir and Sadam Hussain, living in and around the city said the continuous investigations and inquiries by the NIA were infringing on their fundamental rights. “When Hyderabad branch of NIA began the investigation and inquiries last year, these families fully cooperated with officials. They travelled to Hyderabad for questioning when they were summoned,” their lawyer Asan Mohammed said. “The two members mentioned in the chargesheet, Tahir and Hussain, are regularly going to court because the case is under trial.”The advocate said the NIA, without any preamble, transferred the case to its Kochi branch, where officials want to repeat all the inquiries and investigations. “These families, who cooperated so much, feel harassed after the case is transferred to Kochi in Kerala. They are again being summoned, this time to Kochi, in the name of inquiries and being asked the same questions. The new branch is conducting random raids at all their houses and offices, causing these people mental and physical torture.”Mohammed said these raids in the name of investigation were an infringement on their fundamental right to live and move. “It is also unfair to conduct raids and inquiries when the case in under trial in court.”The family members appealed the collector and the police commissioner to intervene in the matter and ensure some relief for them during the investigation. They also wanted the officials to take necessary action against NIA officials.

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