Family of govt staffer held for ‘spying’ seeks narco test

Jaipur: The family of Shakur Khan, a Rajasthan govt employee arrested last month on charges of espionage, has called for a narco-analysis test to prove his innocence, alleging that he was falsely implicated. Khan, who was posted with the employment department in Jaisalmer, was arrested in May by intelligence agencies under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for allegedly spying for Pakistan.Khan's brother, Mubarak Khan, Thursday wrote to Rajasthan police's director-general of intelligence, requesting that a narco-analysis test be conducted to establish the truth. "We are confident that he is innocent. The test will show he has done nothing wrong," said advocate Idrish Mughal, who is representing Khan.Speaking to TOI, Mughal said the family was ready to bear all expenses for a polygraph, brain mapping, or narco-analysis test. "This is a serious allegation—treason. But we are confident of his innocence and want the truth to come out through scientific methods," he said.Intelligence officials have alleged that Khan maintained contact with individuals linked to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), including Ehsaan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, who previously worked at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and was expelled after being declared persona non grata.Mughal, however, argued that such contacts alone should not be construed as evidence of espionage. "There are deep familial and cultural ties across the India-Pakistan border. Many families, including Hindus and Muslims, remain connected despite the partition," he said, adding that a close examination of Khan's phone details will reveal that the phone contained numbers of his relatives in Pakistan, not of any ISI handlers. "Khan applied for and received visas through proper legal channels. There was no malicious intent, and his contact with the Pakistani visa officer, Danish Khan, was limited to formalities. This is not a crime," Mughal added.