Patna:
"My name is Shahid Ali Khan but I am not a terrorist," said the Bihar Minister for Minority Affairs, quoting the famous line from a Shah Rukh Khan flick, after the BJP accused him of having links with the terrorist outfit, Indian Mujahideen.
The accusation by the BJP came after the Sashastra Seema Bal or armed border guards in Bihar had put the legislator from Sursand in Sitamarhi district under scanner for his suspected links with two alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives, Jameel Akhtar and Mansoor Sai.
The Bihar Police said it received a letter from the Sashastra Seema Bal last month seeking verification of charges against Mr Khan. The Special Task Force (STF) in Bihar then asked the cops in Motihari and Sitamarhi districts to probe the matter and found the allegation false.
The BJP yesterday created uproar in Bihar Assembly after the Minority Affairs minister rose to answer a members' question. "They are trying to use a non-issue against me because of politics," Mr Khan said.
The minister said the allegation that Akhtar and Sai have terrorist links needs to be established first before any question of his association with them should arise.
Earlier this month, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also questioned the security agency's handling of the matter. "What is the source of the information of the SSB by which it has taken suo motu note and sent the same to the Special Task Force in Bihar for verification?" Mr Kumar had asked.