After nearly two decades of incarceration, Dr. Tanvir Ansari was released from Amravati Central Jail on Monday, following his acquittal—alongside 11 others—by the Bombay High Court in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings case, reported TOI.
Now 50, Ansari, a former intensive care unit (ICU) in-charge at Saboo Siddique Hospital, addressed the media at Jamiat-ul-Ulema-Hind’s office in Dongri on Thursday, offering a measured yet poignant account of the years lost.
“I was part of the Red Crescent Society team during the Bhuj earthquake. My duty has always been to preserve life, not destroy it,” he said, his voice steady. “We, too, are victims of terrorism—framed, silenced, and punished while the true perpetrators remain at large.”
‘The system failed both’
A resident of Agripada in south Mumbai, Ansari was arrested in 2006 and designated a key conspirator in the coordinated train bombings that killed over 180 people and injured hundreds more.
According to the TOI report, he maintained that the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had built its case on false premises and coercive tactics.
“The investigation was fundamentally flawed. It not only devastated our lives but also denied justice to those who lost loved ones in the attacks,” he said. “Fabricating cases does not bring closure; it merely shields the guilty.”
Years in confinement
Ansari described the personal costs of wrongful incarceration with quiet anguish. He recalled being denied the opportunity to treat his ailing mother, who passed away in the same ICU he once managed.
“I was not even allowed to be by her side,” he said. “I was beaten with sticks, slapped with chappals, and offered ₹25 lakh and a flat to turn approver. I refused. Because I knew I had nothing to confess.”
Ansari detailed how officers of the Crime Branch detained him unlawfully from his hospital before officially recording his arrest. He alleged that the ATS subjected him to narco-analysis, brain-mapping, and polygraph tests—none of which yielded any evidence of guilt, TOI further reported.
“These so-called scientific methods were mere spectacles, meant to lend credibility to a pre-decided narrative,” he said.
A family separated
Ansari was taken into custody when his wife was three months pregnant. He would not hold his daughter until she was over a year old. His absence shaped their lives in profound ways.
“My wife endured countless hardships, and my daughter grew up without a father. She now wants to become a doctor—and that gives me purpose,” he said, his tone briefly softening.
A quiet resolve
Despite the circumstances, Ansari sought solace in learning and service.
TOI noted that during his imprisonment, he completed a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in political science, along with a certificate in disaster management. He also served as a medical assistant in the Amravati jail hospital between 2022 and 2024, offering treatment to fellow inmates.
“To the ATS, I say this—you took away my life’s best years. At the very least, help me rebuild what remains. Help me find work,” he said.
Ansari had also been previously booked under allegations of association with the banned organisation SIMI in 2001, a charge he was acquitted of in 2012.
Now 50, Ansari, a former intensive care unit (ICU) in-charge at Saboo Siddique Hospital, addressed the media at Jamiat-ul-Ulema-Hind’s office in Dongri on Thursday, offering a measured yet poignant account of the years lost.
“I was part of the Red Crescent Society team during the Bhuj earthquake. My duty has always been to preserve life, not destroy it,” he said, his voice steady. “We, too, are victims of terrorism—framed, silenced, and punished while the true perpetrators remain at large.”
‘The system failed both’
A resident of Agripada in south Mumbai, Ansari was arrested in 2006 and designated a key conspirator in the coordinated train bombings that killed over 180 people and injured hundreds more.
According to the TOI report, he maintained that the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had built its case on false premises and coercive tactics.
“The investigation was fundamentally flawed. It not only devastated our lives but also denied justice to those who lost loved ones in the attacks,” he said. “Fabricating cases does not bring closure; it merely shields the guilty.”
Years in confinement
Ansari described the personal costs of wrongful incarceration with quiet anguish. He recalled being denied the opportunity to treat his ailing mother, who passed away in the same ICU he once managed.
“I was not even allowed to be by her side,” he said. “I was beaten with sticks, slapped with chappals, and offered ₹25 lakh and a flat to turn approver. I refused. Because I knew I had nothing to confess.”
Ansari detailed how officers of the Crime Branch detained him unlawfully from his hospital before officially recording his arrest. He alleged that the ATS subjected him to narco-analysis, brain-mapping, and polygraph tests—none of which yielded any evidence of guilt, TOI further reported.
“These so-called scientific methods were mere spectacles, meant to lend credibility to a pre-decided narrative,” he said.
A family separated
Ansari was taken into custody when his wife was three months pregnant. He would not hold his daughter until she was over a year old. His absence shaped their lives in profound ways.
“My wife endured countless hardships, and my daughter grew up without a father. She now wants to become a doctor—and that gives me purpose,” he said, his tone briefly softening.
A quiet resolve
Despite the circumstances, Ansari sought solace in learning and service.
TOI noted that during his imprisonment, he completed a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in political science, along with a certificate in disaster management. He also served as a medical assistant in the Amravati jail hospital between 2022 and 2024, offering treatment to fellow inmates.
“To the ATS, I say this—you took away my life’s best years. At the very least, help me rebuild what remains. Help me find work,” he said.
Ansari had also been previously booked under allegations of association with the banned organisation SIMI in 2001, a charge he was acquitted of in 2012.
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