Mehdi Masroor's arrest has left Kolkata's Biman Nagar locality scarred

KOLKATA: Biman nagar is a locality that has developed at the corner of Rajarhat over the past decade and a half. Not too far from the airport, the area has developed out of marshy swamps like most newly developing residential areas of Kolkata, but it has a distinct character. In the lanes and by lanes of this locality, Hindus and Muslims live peacefully, adjacent to each other, in prosperous homes.The news of locality lad, Mehdi Masroor's arrest, has left everyone dumbfounded.
The moment you entered the place you were treated with suspicion since the place has been frequented by investigating agencies that have been questioning Mehdi's parents who have been residing here for the past 10 years. Neighbours say that they too have not been spared the, "shame of being terror suspects." "Leave us alone. The whole of Biman nagar is being treated as a hub for breeding terrorists," was the refrain one heard from everyone.
The Biswas household had already left the city. One found a big lock at the entrance to their three storeyed residence. Tenants who live on the ground floor look nervous and vouch that the quiet well mannered boy did not give away any signs of possessing any radical views.
"I cannot imagine that the house that I have rented (55/42), is in national news for being a terrorist's home!" said Anish Ahmed, the Biswas tenant. "I have met Mehdi when he is here during the vacations, but cannot imagine the quiet boy to be spawning terror Worldwide!" said 60 year old Anish Ahmed.
He was standing outside his house chatting with neighbour Binod Daw, who has been residing here for 17 years and is a close friend of the Biswas family." I have known the boy since he was a school kid. He was a bright boy from the local India Gandhi Memorial School. Later he went to Guru Nanak College in Khabar for his engineering studies. He is just like any of today's youth, active on the Internet but to think that he used it for anti social networking is impossible! There must have been a Mistake!"
Some senior residents vouched that Masroor could not read Arabic, leave alone translate it. "Let them ask me and I will prove to them that Masroor did not know the Arif of Arabic," said Hafizur Rahman, who has known the family ever since they relocated here from Kolaghat.
However, Masroor's friends from College would like to contest this. They were his Facebook friends as well. "Masroor had a quiet exterior but possessed radical religious views that he publicly proclaimed on Facebook. All his friends were aware of this," said a friend, whose house he frequented. "Girls starts avoiding him because of his dogmatic approach and he lost some of his closest friends!" said another college friend who was Masroor's Facebook friend. "We realised something was wrong when he shut off his Facebook accounts," said another friend.