Prominent Muslim groups, while jointly denouncing ISIS at a press conference at Press Club of India in the national capital, on 8 February said that the Government on the pretext of countering the threat of ISIS in the country is randomly arresting Muslims to terrorise and demonise the Muslim community. They asked the Government to stop arresting Muslims immediately.
Mohammad Salim Engineer, Secretary General, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, while addressing the meet, criticised the double standard of the Government, saying that on the one hand efforts are being made to terrorise the Muslim community and on the other efforts are being made to release those associated with the Hindutva terror network. “This is very dangerous not only for the people but for India as well,” he said.
The JIH leader demanded that the police officers who detain innocent youth deliberately must be punished if these youth are acquitted later. The youth must be released within six months if the agencies are unable to prove charges made against them.
Navaid Hamid, President, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, asked the like-minded leaders and political parties to raise the issue of arrest of Muslims in the coming session of the Parliament. While replying to a question on why Muslims should not be arrested on suspicion, Hamid said there is difference between suspicion and conspiracy. Even if anyone is arrested on suspicion, efforts should not be made to brand him as terrorist but should be dealt with judiciously and without any discrimination and prejudices.
Dr SQR Ilyas, President, Welfare Party of India, said calculated efforts are being made to demonise and terrorise the Muslim community and it appears that there is a method and motive behind such random arrests. Ilyas also said that the conviction rate under TADA was just one per cent. In 2014, only 18 out of 141 people apprehended under UAPA could be charge-sheeted while 123 people were found innocent. It means charges could be proved only against 12 per cent of the accused.
The six Muslim groups included Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Jamiat Ahle Hadees, All-India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Milli Council, and the Welfare Party.
The Muslim leaders have also made seven demands before the government:
1) The chain of arresting innocent Muslims mere on suspicion should be immediately stopped. Cases should be withdrawn from those against whom no substantial proof was found and they should be immediately released;
2) Those against whom terror charges could not be proved and have consequently been acquitted by the courts should be awarded ample compensation and stringent action be taken against the police officers who had implicated them;
3) Draconian laws (UAPA, MCOCA, etc.) enacted to counter so-called terrorism should be annulled immediately because they run contrary to basic human rights and are used by police and intelligence agencies as a weapon against innocent people. It has already been proved that charges against most of the people prosecuted under these laws were not proved. Its living example is TADA whose rate of conviction was just one per cent;
4) A new law should be formulated in the country to ensure ample compensation to the persons acquitted of terror charges and to prosecute under terror charges the officers of police and intelligence agencies who falsely implicated them so that the lives of innocent people could be saved.
5) A core group should be formed comprising human rights organisations working in terror cases, civil society groups and community organisations. Every such case should be referred to the panel. This core group would work as a watchdog. Only this will help establish mutual harmony, contact and cooperation between police and public and will shut the door of misunderstandings;
6) A high-level probe should be conducted to fully expose the Hindutva terror network uncovered by slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare and also the cases brought to light by admission and revelations of Swami Aseemanand; and
7) Hindutva terror accused should not be released on bail by weakening their cases; rather their cases should be fast-tracked in order to ensure judgment.