If the Prime Minister cannot protect human rights and provide justice for all citizens, he has no right to rule the nation. Such political leaders and accused cops cannot be forgiven for such a reprehensible crime committed on September 19, 2008 at Batla House, said Vice President Rashtriya Ulama Council (RUC) Dharamveer Yadav while addressing a dharna organised by Co-ordination Committee of Indian Muslims at Jantar Mantar in the capital on July 28.
He said the report is one-sided and written in such a manner as nobody likes to believe it. “The NHRC has dashed our hopes into pieces,” Yadav added.
If the government does not accept our demand, we will also not accept them and their bureaucracy. The perpetrators should be severely punished so that the other officers may not deter to take such a step, the RUC leader said and urged the lawmakers to think on the issue afresh otherwise they would not be given an opportunity any more to come back to power.
RUC President Maulana Amir Rashadi, while delivering the presidential speech, said Allah never changed the fate of the community who did not protect itself. “So the time has come to raise our voice against ill-treatment done to the Muslims.”
He said, “We were supposed helpless and toothless but within a year we have shaken the nation and shown our might. If our valid demand of judicial inquiry is not accepted, we will show our strength in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly election.”
He said, “We never demanded the enquiry by Maulana Ahmad Bukhari, Maulana Zeeshan Hidayati, Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji or by any other religious leader but by the CBI with sitting Judges of Apex Court heading it; but unfortunately the government did not pay heed to our demand.”
He accused the then Home Minister Shivraj Patil of directing this stage-managed encounter. “Narco Test should be conducted on Shivraj Patil so that the truth can be revealed,” Maulana Rashadi demanded.
Dr. S.Q.R. Ilyas, Editor Afkar-e-Milli, representing All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said, “There is no need to repeat the same questions as the encounter was conducted under cold blood. It is a one-sided report by the NHRC, which not only did injustice to us but failed to follow its own norms.
“We have qualm that the Commission did not talk to eyewitnesses, relatives of the victims, PUDR and other Human Rights organisations campaigning on the issue,” Dr. Ilyas said.
President Majlis-e-Fikro Amal Maulana Zeeshan Hidayati said, “It is a matter of shame as the NHRC failed to prove itself neutral. The commission wants to gag the Muslims.”
We have to take stern action so that the police might think thousands of times before taking such a heinous step, he said and demanded judicial inquiry into the case.
President Indian Islahi Movement Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji said the NHRC was formed to protect human rights and provide justice for all but it is an irony that its probe is dictated and one-sided. He said the commission is merely a rubber stamp dancing on the tune of the Union Government. He said this is the sad result of government’s apathy, and requested the government to prevent anarchy and to initiate judicial inquiry into the encounter so that the perpetrators can be brought to book.
Maulana Izam Uddin, member of Ulema Council, said, “When we saw innocent Muslim boys being picked up by the Special Investigation Team and police personnel and being encountered, we took this step to save the victims, jail the culprits and maintain and strengthen the democracy. He emphasised that sooner or later we will compel the government and get our valid demand fulfilled. He said in 2012 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will be held and it will be high time to teach a lesson to the accused.
He said that we are not religiously backward because we have faith in Allah but politically backward as we have no representatives in Lower or Upper House of Parliament.
Shahid Siddiqui, Editor Nai Dunia, said history is evident that when we raised our voice the government ultimately fulfilled our demands. He said that the commission’s aim was not to reveal but to disguise the truth.
Previously there was a strategy of riots. Politicians used to be behind it. But very soon they realised that with this both the communities are harmed. So a new trend has been adopted and that is of encounter.
Earlier there was a strategy to pull the legs of Muslims by accusing Hafiz, Ulema, Maulvi, and other religious-looking Muslims but they felt that this is not going to harm the community seriously and plotted a bigger conspiracy. So now they accuse English speaking Muslim students who are doing relatively well in science, medicine, management, etc.
He said when a Muslim student goes for an interview he has to prove there, that he is not a terrorist.
He further said that the NHRC tried to disguise the matter and held Central government responsible for the alleged encounter and said it is a shameful joke.
Dr. Tasleem Rahmani, President Muslim Political Council, in his statement said, “Sonia Gandhi allegedly said if we conduct judicial enquiry the moral of police will go down.” She fears for the moral of police but does not bother about the moral of the multi-crore Muslims.
He said if a Ranveer is killed, an enquiry commission is formed within a week and investigation goes in full swing but if a Tanveer is killed nothing happens.
He said there has been a tendency of oppressing a minority. Earlier the Sikhs were oppressed. He said, “Ninety-nine per cent boys who are accused of terrorist activities are acquitted as innocent. I ask the government that if they were innocent and if the blast took place then there must be some real culprits. So why were the real culprits not brought to book?”
Reacting to the NHRC report, he averred, if the committee would have conducted its own investigation and found the boys culprits then we would have no qualm. But the commission adopted the police version so we cannot accept it.
He said it was not a plan to kill the two innocent boys but to pull the legs of the community and push it backward.
He requested the MPs especially Muslims to mount pressure on their respective parties for initiation of a judicial enquiry. He warned, “If our demand is not accepted, we will start a nationwide movement till the end.”
Parmatma Haran Panday, who came from Azamgarh to take part in the dharna, expressed sympathy with and homage to the deceased victims and said, “Leave the matter of the encounter of these poor boys aside, these greedy and selfish politicians can even assassin their own brothers for their political will.”
A team of Muslim leaders and human rights activists came from Azamgarh to participate in the dharna.
The dharna echoed with the slogans like “NHRC sherm karo, sherm karo,” “We Demand Judicial Inquiry,” and “NHRC Report Police Report.”
A memorandum was submitted to the Union Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram
The memorandum demanded not only to initiate a judicial enquiry into Batla House encounter but also a probe into all riots and disruptive activities that took place in the last decade. It also demanded to evolve effective judicial mechanism and curb police atrocities, illegal detentions, fake encounters, tortures, custodial deaths and fabricated accusations, and to stop harassment of relatives and well wishers of the detainees and targeting or victimising a whole locality. The demands included adopting measures to promote human values, respect for human life, tolerance and co-operation so that we can build a hatred-free and peaceful India.