The ANHAD team called a press conference on September 16 to address the gross atrocities done to the people of the minority community in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Shabnam Hashmi from ANHAD; Navaid Hamid, member National Integration Council; Ramzan Choudhry (Mewat); and Ashim (NCDHR) addressed the press conference. They said that the issue involves grave human rights violations and needs urgent attention, as the police is doing a massive cover-up.
In the press conference at Windsor Place, Hashmi and Hamid demanded a CBI enquiry into the Bharatpur communal violence, saying that only the CBI enquiry could bring out the truth in the inhumane treatment and the gross human rights violations against the minority community. They said the local police is also reported to have been involved in the carnage and not having taken any actions against the Gujjars when they allegedly started burning Muslims alive on September 14.
“There are enough instances to prove that at present, police is trying to suppress and destroy evidences related to the horrible human rights violations of the members of the minority community by the local police and Gujjars,” Hashmi said.
When the ANHAD team visited Bharatpur on September 15, a day after the incident, they were reportedly threatened by the local policemen. When the team started to investigate the smoke coming out of the controversial Eidgah land, they were detained by the policemen for two hours only to be pushed out of the Rajasthan border. Local Muslims said the police is burning bodies in order to destroy the evidences, meanwhile the members of ANHAD found two burnt bodies within the premises of the Eidgah.
“Why didn’t the police want us to visit the area? It misguided and threatened us at every turn of our visit because it didn’t want us to find out the truth behind the violence in which the police had a big role to play. After all there were lots of things to hide for the police,” Hashmi added.
During the press conference the ANHAD team also released a CD which contained the visuals of burnt and charred bodies thrown into a well, blood spots in the mosque, etc. which gives a clear-cut view of the involvement of police in the cover-up.
In the end Hamid asked, “Do we need few more communal riots to occur in the country, for the government to pass the Communal Violence Bill?”
Meanwhile renowned groups also staged a protest in Jaipur’s statue circle. The major organisations that joined the protest include Rajasthan PUCL, Rajashthan Muslim Forum, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (Rajasthan), Jama Masjid Committee and others. The decision of the disputed graveyard land had already been given in favour of the graveyard.
Another renowned figure from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Madani demanded the government to sack Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as he has consistently failed to deliver. Maulana Madani, a Rajya Sabha MP, was not given permission by the police to proceed to riot affected area. It took him four hours to get the permission to enter the riot affected district; however he was not allowed to enter the site of violence.
The role of the police has once again come under suspicion; a strict and stern judicial enquiry will bring out the real truth in this matter.