Following the blasts in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow in 2007, the Special Task Force rounded up two Muslim youths, Tariq Qasmi and KhaledMujahid ostensibly from Bara Banki railways station and dubbed them as members of the banned HUJI. Now, the state government is to release these young men following the report of Justice Nimesh Commission which observes that the two youths were abducted by police from two different places, detained illegally for days, tortured and beaten up before being jailed. The commission has also recommended action against the errant police officers.
The BJP leader Kalyan Singh was quick enough to dub the government’s decision as blatant example of Muslim appeasement. He warned the people of UP that “this government is not going to release just Qasmi and Mujahid but also all other terrorists lodged in jail.” Is his statement not poisoning the minds of people against a particular community? Does the Section 153/A of IPC not deal with promoting hatred between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony?
Dr. Mookhi Amir Ali,
Santacruz, Mumbai