PM PROPOSES JOINT PANEL TO PREVENT HARASSMENT OF MUSLIM YOUTHS

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proposed a joint panel consisting of Muslim leaders and top intelligence and security officials to stop the harassment of young Muslims across India in the name of “fight against terrorism”. The leaders expressed their concern on the security of Muslims in India and complained of random arrests and media trials of Muslim youth. A member of the delegation, Dr Qasim Rasool Ilyas, said the leaders presented detailed cases of such harassment at the hands of Indian intelligence agencies across the country. He said there were several cases when security agencies had asked the media to conduct media trials to influence the judiciary. Dr Ilyas said they had asked the Prime Minister to stop “profiling of Muslims” – a project started by the Home Ministry. “Something happens somewhere and it is linked to Islam and Muslims. Security agencies immediately arrest Muslim youth, torture them and then try them in the media, which builds up stories against them,” he added. He said the negative image portrayed by the media influenced judiciary.