Since September 13, 2008 bomb blasts Delhi Police was under intense pressure to do something. That something came in the shape of Batla House shootout on September 19, 2008 in which, according to Police, two hardcore terrorists Atif (24) and Sajid (17) were gunned down on the third floor of a small building in a congested lane. Atif, who is being presented as a mastermind of Delhi blasts was a postgraduate student and is not known to have had any criminal record. Sajid was just 17 years old (Radiance has in its possession a document which proves that he was born in March 1991 and was a student of Class XII). He had been in Delhi for barely a year or less. Now all sorts of allegations are being made against the duo and their 11 alleged group members. Police also claims that Atif had planned 20 more blasts in Delhi. Newspapers are vying with each other to heap more dangerous charges against the group which is being projected as Indian Mujahideen. Police has started a witch hunt and is indiscriminately picking up, interrogating and torturing young students pursuing their studies in various educational institutions in the Capital.
Let us make it abundantly clear on our behalf, and on behalf of the Muslim Community, that we are against any act of violence and do strongly condemn any terrorist act. If really these young boys were involved in bomb blasts, we would say that they should not be shown any mercy. They should be given exemplary punishment, so that it may be a deterrent for other such youths who may be thinking on similar lines. They must be made to understand that whatever may be their real or perceived grievances they do not have the right to play with lives of innocent people. What they have done is against the interest of their own community, humanity, norms of civilised life and more than that against the fundamentals of the great religion of Islam.
The allegations against these youth are simply mind-boggling. They are from respectable families, perusing studies in reputed institutions, or doing decent jobs. It is not possible that they would have planted bombs and killed people. Therefore there is a strong suspicion against what the Police allege. Radiance has come across scores of cases of picking up of young men, intimidation, beating and torture to get forced confessions. The people of Batla House insist that the gunned down students were innocent, normal youths. It is unthinkable that they would have indulged in terrorist activity. They say that the Police has acted on the behest of politicians to defame a Muslim locality or just to prove that they have apprehended the culprits behind the blasts.
It is believed that Police will not be able to prove the wild charges against these alleged terrorists in a court of law or before an independent judicial enquiry.
Take the case of Zeeshan, who was residing with Atif and Sajid. He is employed in a reputed firm and had left his room that morning to appear in an examination. He was taken aback when he heard his roommates’ names. He contacted his friends then got his statement recorded with TV channel Aaj Tak and surrendered to Police that evening itself. If he had been involved in bomb blasts he would have simply ran away.
There is great resentment in the Muslim community against the wild charges of Police. Therefore it is high time that the Government at the Centre intervened and a high level judicial enquiry ordered to go into every aspect of the serial blasts, antecedents of the apprehended youth and the shootout. Let truth come out and let us be ready to face it.