A delegation of Muslim leaders led by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Deputy Ameer, Prof. K.A. Siddeeq Hassan on October 4 called on Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Union Minister of State, Home Affairs, and discussed in detail the harassment and demonisation of Indian Muslims by security agencies, police and media, especially electronic media. The delegation also submitted to him a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister of India, requesting him to forward it to the PM using his good offices. Dr. Shakeel sympathetically listened to the grievances of the delegation and promised to forward it to the Prime Minister and other concerned authorities. The delegation included Dr. S Q R Ilyas, Member of Central Advisory Committee, JIH and Mr. Irfanullah Khan, Convenor Jamia Nagar Coordination Committee, New Delhi.
The memorandum presents the following 11-point demands:
1) The Government of India should take note of the pertinent questions raised by several citizens’ inquiry teams about the questionable nature of the 19 September 2008 “encounter” at Batla House, Jamia Nagar. A high-level judicial time-bound enquiry should be conducted into the whole incident to find out the truth and its findings must be made public.
2) Without proper inquiry and tangible evidence, no person or organization should be blamed for terrorist acts.
3) All innocent persons picked up by the police in Delhi, Azamgarh, Mumbai and other places should be immediately released. No one should be arrested without substantial grounds which should be made public.
4) The heavy police deployment in Okhla since 19 September 2008 should be withdrawn forthwith in order to remove uncertainty, sense of insecurity prevailing in the area.
5) Harassment of common people in Delhi should be stopped. Landlords should not be harassed and coerced into evicting their tenants.
6) Police should desist from torture and third degree methods and should respect the guidelines of the Supreme Court in this regard.
7) Even minors are being picked up by the Police. They should be immediately released.
8) Some of the arrested students have clear evidence available of their innocence. They should be immediately released.
9) In conducting raids and detaining people for questioning, the police should take the residents associations and leading personalities of the area into confidence.
10) The media must be made to behave in a responsible, unbiased, and impartial manner. We condemn the blatant anti-Muslim bias exhibited by a section of the media, which rushes to conclusions, blows up and in effect blames the whole Muslim community and entire regions of committing/abetting terrorism. We demand from the Govt. to enact a law to control electronic media.
11) The Government should respect the verdict of the Justice Geeta Mittal Tribunal and lift the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). It should note that dozens of former SIMI activists have been acquitted by courts across the country.