Acquitted After 12 Years in Prison, UP Men Say Tag of Terrorism Has Ruined Life

'Gulab Khan and Mohammad Kausar were acquitted by a Rampur court in the 2008 Rampur terror attack Case... “Who will wash off the blot of terrorism conferred upon me by the investigative agencies and the media?” questioned Gulab Khan, as he walked out of Bareilly Central Jail on Saturday as a free man. “I have been kept in the jail for nearly 12 years—the term being equivalent to the sentence of a murder convict. Will the court or those who destroyed not only me but my whole family help me now? Will the media make sure that people know I’m innocent?” he asked. Khan, a native of Baheri town in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested for his alleged involvement in a terror attack in 2008. The 48-year-old is one of the two persons acquitted by a Rampur court. “I had no connection with the terror attack but I was still framed. When I stepped outside of the jail after 12 years, I thanked the Almighty. It feels good to breathe in the open air and to see my own people. But how will I start my life when my shop—price of which would have been in crores today—has been sold due to the case. Six bighas of my land have been sold too. I have nothing at the age of 48,” said Khan while speaking to NewsClick...'