All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat displayed video footage at a press conference on 2 April at its headquarters in New Delhi to demolish Special Cell claims that former Kashmiri militant Liaqat Ali Shah was arrested from a busstand in Gorakhpur after it had received a tip off. The video footage shown was that of a BSF official speaking to media persons that Liaqat was stopped and questioned by border security forces at India-Nepal border and later handed over to security agencies from Delhi.
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, president of AIMMM,alleged that members of Special Cell are framing innocent Muslims on a routine basis and entrapments, fake encounters and extortion have become order of the day.
In the presence of full-fledged National Investigating Agency there is no need of such a local force which misuses rather abuses its power every now and then. He also demanded the repeal of UAPA and setting up of a screening committee to review terror cases, setting up off fast track courts and adequate compensation to those acquitted of terror charges and punishment for the officers found guilty of framing innocent Muslims.
Dr TasleemRahmani, president Muslim Political Council of India, said that the recent arrest of Liaqat Ali Shah and the way police have fabricated the story of his arrest compels us to believe that in all such cases innocents were framed to win laurels from seniors and medals or any kind of gallantry awards. He also said that Special Cell has now become a discredited Cell as people hardly believe their theory after arrest. To him, the government is worried about the police morale but doesn’t care of the morals of millions of Muslims. Rahmani warned that arrest of Muslim women on fabricated charges will not be tolerated by the community.
Dr SQR Ilyas, General Secretary of Welfare Party,said it is a policy of the government to keep the Muslim community in a state of flux in order to divert their attention from the real issues pertaining to Muslims. He also strongly condemned the way Maharashtra Intelligence Agency has monitored Girls Islamic Organisation (GIO).
To end this unabated persecution, AIMMM has demanded from the UPA government to: (1) Repeal UAPA; (2) Set up high-power screening committee(s) to look into all the cases where Muslim youths are languishing, at times blamed for 20-30 blasts, rotting in jails with no hope of a future; (3) Set up fast track courts for those where the screening committee(s) believe that there is substance in the charges; (4) Collect umpteen cases filed against one person in different places and try them by a single fast track court and where a number of cases are proved false, others should be quashed as a matter of policy; (5) Punish the Police, Intelligence and other agencies’ personnel who framed and fabricated cases, as only this can stop this drama of the absurd; (6) Adequate compensation to all terror-accused set free by courts in the past or in future; and (7) Disband Special Cell of the Delhi Police and all similar Special Forces across India and use only the NIA for the purpose of fighting terror and similar threats to national security.