New Delhi, March 9 (IANS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government and the Lok Sabha sympathises with Sartaj, the father of a slain terror suspect who refused to accept the body of his "traitor" son.
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on the blast in a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train and subsequent anti-terror operations in Lucknow, Rajnath Singh also said that the anti-terror operations had helped "successfully avert" a possible threat to national security and that further probe would be handed over to the National Investigation Agency.
Referring to the shootout in Lucknow in which Saifullah was killed after nearly 12-hours long gun battle with police, the Home Minister spoke about the youth's father who on Wednesday said he did not want to take the body.
So far six arrests have been made related to the train blast, the Minister informed Lok Sabha.
"When the Uttar Pradesh police met his father to hand over the body, Sartaj said one who could not be faithful to his country, was no one for him," Rajnath Singh said in the House.
"He said I have worked hard all my life for my family, but this boy has shamed me. I sympathise with the father of Saifullah, I am sure the whole House sympathises with him," the Minister said.
"He (Sartaj) had to lose a son. The government is proud of such people, the whole House is proud of such people," the Minister said, as members from both treasury and opposition benches joined him by thumping their desks.
Saifullah, who was killed in the wee hours of Wednesday in Lucknow, was according to police "self radicalised" and he along with others including five who have been arrested were trying to build an Islamic State Khorasan module in the city.
Saifullah hailed from Kanpur. His father Sartaj said on Wednesday that Saifullah had left home around two and a half months back after being scolded and beaten by his father for not working.
"What he has done is not in national interest. We will not take the dead body of such a traitor," Sartaj had said on Wednesday in Kanpur.
Giving details of the train blast and the anti-terror operations, the Home Minister said it was an example of good coordination between state police forces and central agencies.
"The events present an excellent example of coordination amongst the state police and central agencies. Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the states, a possible threat to national security was successfully averted. Further investigations will be handed over to NIA," Singh said.