A number of Muslim and civil rights organisations organised a stage-in at Jantar Mantar on Parliament Street in the capital on August 7 to demand implementation of Justice Srikrishna Commission recommendations. They demanded from the government to bring to justice those responsible for killings of hundreds of innocent Muslims during Mumbai riots 1992-93. The organisers of the dharna included Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, All India Milli Council, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, Movement for Empowerment of Muslim Indians, and Association for Protection of Civil Rights. The organisers of the programme later on issued a statement to the press.
“The convictions of the accused in Mumbai blasts cases, in which 250 families had lost their dear ones, have sent a strong message to the entire world that Indian system has strong commitment to deliver justice for all crimes, even those of brutality and terrorism. It would be very unfair if the perpetrators of the crime against humanity of Mumbai riots 1992-93, that had sowed the seeds of the cancerous divide of the Mumbaikars, are not brought to justice. We all know that more than three times of the Mumbaikars lost their dear ones in the communal riots 1992-93 that preceded Mumbai blasts,” said the statement.
Justice Srikrishna Commission has rightly observed in its report that the Mumbai blasts were the reaction to the reality of the events at Ayodhya and Bombay in December 1992 and January 1993. The common link between the riots and the blasts was that of cause and effect.
Justice Srikrishna Commission Report not only clearly mentioned the role of pseudo-nationalist leaders like Bal Thackeray, Manohar Joshi, Gopinath Munde and Madhukar Sarpotdar and cadres of the party but also the biased role of a number of police officers including the then Joint Commissioner RD Tyagi who shot dead nine persons at the Suleiman Usman Bakery labelling them “Kashmiri terrorists”. NK Kapse, one of these officers, was promoted after a departmental inquiry exonerated him of any guilt in shooting down seven persons at the Hari Masjid located at Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg.
“Nearly all policemen indicted by Justice Srikrishna Report have escaped lightly despite being found guilty of complicity in acts of murder and arson. It is not true that only one policeman was dismissed from service for his role in the Mumbai riots.
The victims of the Mumbai riots are still waiting for justice and they need to be supported,” the signatories to the statement lamented.
“We earnestly demand from the Government in power to fulfil its Constitutional obligations by implementing the Justice Srikrishna Commission recommendations so that nobody loses hope in the Indian system and everybody thinks to be part of the nation,” they firmly demanded.