MONTESWAR: Hamim Mondal’s ancestral village in Monteswar, barely an hour’s drive from where he was arrested, learnt that the 24-year-old was a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative at 10 am on Friday.The family has been in the rice trade for several generations.Speaking to reporters in Dirghanagar village, Mondal’s elderly uncle Suman said, “I believe there is some misunderstanding. Hamim is a very simple, quiet, and timid young man, he isn’t even confident riding a motorcycle properly. Although the family resides in Kolkata for work, all of their legal documents are linked to their ancestral home in Dirghanagar.”“Around 2pm, a civic volunteer visited Dirghanagar village and spoke with local social worker Shafikul Sheikh to verify whether Mondal’s family genuinely lived here, making detailed inquiries about us,” he said.Suman, who lives in the village along with their extended family, said, “Hamim is the son of my elder brother. All their official documents are registered at this address. However, the family lives in Kolkata for business, where Hamim assists his father. During the recent elections, the entire family came to the village to cast their votes.”He said Hamim’s grandfather, uncles, and aunt have been living in Dirghanagar for many years.“Hamim was born in Howrah. His father, my brother Moinuddin, worked in Howrah. We knew he studied in Kolkata and was working there. We have never heard anything negative about this family. They are a very respectable and decent family,” he said, adding, “Not just us, ask any villager here, and people will vouch for what I have been saying. We are a respectable family.”Asked whether they had noticed anything wrong with Mondal, Suman said, “How can anyone know all these things?”
