The bomb blast that took place in the High Court on Wednesday morning has shaken the capital once again. The blast was very powerful and claimed 13 lives and left scores of people injured. The Muslim organisations in India came forward and condemned the heinous act of violence and asked the people to display resilience and solidarity at the time of distress and turbulence.
Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, Working President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, forcefully condemned the terrorist and criminal attack outside the Delhi High Court on September 7. The Mushawarat demanded an honest probe taking into account all possible beneficiaries of this criminal act. He cautioned that the past practice of quickly pointing to some so-called “Muslim” organisations should not be repeated in order to allow the real criminals to cover their tracks.
The AIMMM leader further demanded that people directly responsible for intelligence and security in Delhi must be punished by immediate suspension and should be sacked if, after an enquiry, found negligent and guilty. Failure to install CCTVs at the High Court gates and other similar places in the capital clearly shows the criminal and negligent attitude of the police and security agencies despite the recurrence of terrorist attacks in the capital.
He said that merely offering of compensation to the dead and injured is not enough. Those responsible for the lax security should also pay the price so that the lax and carefree attitude of the bureaucracy, police and security agencies could be checked.
Dr. Khan demanded that the unaccounted huge funds placed at the disposal of intelligence and security agencies should be rigorously audited by independent auditors because these secret funds have created a vested interest and these funds are not being properly utilised for the purpose for which they are released to these agencies.
The Secretary General of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Nizamuddin said, while condemning the blast, “What are the security agencies doing? If the agencies work properly and diligently then these kinds of attacks can be warded off.” He said there is a need to bring the Hindutva terrorist organisations under the ambit of investigation.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind also condemned the blast vehemently and termed it as a barbaric and inhumane act, and demanded the government to conduct a high-level inquiry to bring the culprits to justice. Mr. Nusrat Ali, Secretary General of the Jamaat, said, “The occurrence of the second blast within four months on an important public place like High Court, indicates the barbaric and cruel mentality of the perpetrators. It is tragic that people who come to seek justice have been made the victims of the most inhumane attacks.”
The JIH leader called on the government to ensure the safety of the citizens and also asked it to make proper arrangement that anti-national elements do not disturb the peace and tranquillity of the country. He expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the blasts.
Mr. Qasim Rasool Ilyas, General Secretary of Welfare Party of India, which is a value based party, also criticised the attack and said that the blast in the capital has raised questions about the efficiency of the security agencies.
Maulana Arshad Madni, President Jamiat-e-Ulema, reiterated what Maulana Nizamuddin said and talked about the Hindutva terror outfits. Maulana Madni expressed suspicion of a political angle in this blast as two days back two BJP leaders were arrested and sent behind the bars, which caused distress and anger among the BJP lobby.
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, condemned the bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court and called it an act of terror meant to advance divisive and sectarian agendas. IAMC has expressed its profound condolences to the families of the victims, and called upon people of all faiths to come together in this difficult hour, and defeat the intent of the killers by reaffirming their commitment to a pluralist, secular India. IAMC has also called upon law enforcement agencies not to exclude any possibility in investigating this heinous crime. According to a statement by the National Security Director, Gen. Rajen Medhekar, the bomb was made from ammonium nitrate, a substance that is easily available in the market. The timing of the blasts is also suspicious, coming as it does, on the heels of new efforts to improve relations between India and Pakistan. These facts point to the likely involvement of extremist organisations that have committed similar terror attacks in the past with the goal of stoking communal tensions.
“Repeated terror attacks on innocent civilians are clearly an indication of poor security arrangements on the part of the government,” said Mr. Shaheen Khateeb, President, IAMC. Investigations of such terror attacks in the past have found them to be the handiwork of either local extremist organisations or cross border terrorists. However, knee-jerk reactions from law enforcement agencies consistently targeted poor, innocent individuals that did not have the wherewithal for proper legal representation. IAMC has therefore called upon the media and people of all faiths to exercise restraint and withhold judgment until a full scale investigation is allowed to run its course.
Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Maulana Sayyed Ahmed Bukhari expressed a strong need to nab the real culprits in the blast to end the atrocities done to the innocent people, but lamented that instead the actual perpetrators, innocents and uninvolved people face the heat of investigation.
Shahi Imam of Masjid Fatehpuri, Maulana Dr. Mufti Mukarram Ahmed also expressed remorse over the carelessness of the agencies, especially in those areas where the number of footfalls are anyway high. He asked the government to give Rs. 10 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased.
Maulana Asrarul Haq Qasmi, President All India Taleemi wa Milli Foundation, and also an MP from Kishanganj, Bihar urged the people to maintain peace and tranquility in the country and asked the people to give respond to this act of violence in a positive way. He went ahead and said, “A terrorist is a terrorist and his only friends are his destructive aims and objectives.”
The principal of Zakir Husain College, Mr. Aslam Parvez said, “Government should look into the matter seriously and punish the culprits with stern and exemplary punishments; terrorism is taking place in our country and it is time to crush it under the feet.”
Besides the above mentioned individuals and organisations, there are many other organisations namely Markazi Jamaate Ahle Hadees, All India Milli Council, etc. which condemned the attack on Delhi High Court and expressed their deep condolences to the victims of the blast.