Rains, chaos and celebration marked Dr Haneef Mohammed's return to Bangalore on Sunday night. Haneef returned to Bangalore after he had been absolved of terror charges in Brisbane.
Haneef had left for India via Bangkok on a Thai Airways flight along with his lawyer Peter Russo and relative Imran Siddiqui on Saturday night from Brisbane, after Australian authorities dropped the terror charges against him in connection with the failed UK terror plot.
His flight landed at the Bangalore airport at 9.25 pm IST, immediately after which he was whisked away in a Ford Endeavour waiting for him outside the airport. Haneef, who came out of the airport at around 10 pm after completing immigration formalities along with Russo and Imran, looked relieved and broke into a smile the moment he saw a huge crowd waiting for him.
Video: Dr Haneef arriving at the Bangalore Airport
The police however had a tough time controlling the crowd, most of which comprised media-persons, and had to even resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the assembly.
Haneef's relative Imran Siddiqui, who initially was cool and said they had a good flight, later sounded angry after seeing the manner in which the crowd was behaving. He questioned, "Why are you treating Haneef like a criminal?"
Haneef too said, "Give me some breathing space, I will talk to all of you later." Haneef, who left the airport at around 10.10 pm, drove straight to a hotel where he dropped his lawyer.
Russo, it is learnt, has told Haneef not to speak too much on the issue.
Before heading home, Haneef went to the mosque near his house to offer prayers. He reached his wife's house at BTM layout at 11.10 pm.
A grand welcome: Haneef's entry into his house too was not a smooth affair and he had to face a huge crowd before he got into the house. Once home, he headed straight to the sofa where he pulled out a sheet of paper and read out a statement.
Surrounded by his father in law Ashwaq and relative Imran and others, Haneef said, "I am thankful to the governments of India and Australia. I am very excited to be back home and thank God for all the mercy he has shown me. I also want to thank the press and all my supporters across the globe who stood by me in these trying times."
Relatives who later went into his room along with Haneef said there were very emotional moments when he got to see his wife and child. Haneef had tears in his eyes and his wife too was crying. He said seeing his child was the most wonderful moment of his life.
Haneef had termed his new-born child an angel and said she was his lucky mascot.
Haneef's house wore a festive look and the entire neighbourhood had turned up to welcome the local boy who most of them termed as a hero. There were banners outside his house in praise of Russo and Imran. While one banner read 'Great Russo Great,' the other stated, 'You did it Imran.' The third was simple in its message: 'Welcome back'.
The moment Haneef walked into the house, some of his relatives who were standing on the balcony threw flowers on him while others garlanded him. Haneef's wife had cooked his favourite dish, biryani.
A lot of Haneef's relatives and friends had to go back disappointed after the police stopped allowing people into the house due to the commotion.
Job offer: Meanwhile Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has offered Haneef a government job. Describing Haneef's return as a happy moment, the chief minister said the state government would offer him a job.
However Imran's father, Himayu Siddique said, "Jeethe hue pehelwan ko sab sabhashi dete hai (everyone praises a wrestler who has won)." He said the state government had not done anything when Haneef was battling it out in Brisbane. However, he added that they would discuss the issue with family members and only then decide on whether Haneef should accept the offer.
A mistake: Haneef's father in law, Ashwaq said it was a mistake to have booked a one-way ticket for Haneef. This had become a major issue with the Australian interrogators who kept asking him about the same.
Image: Dr Mohammad Haneef and his cousin Imran Siddiqui are escorted from the airport.
Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images
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