Intellectuals appeal for unbiased, neutral investigation into blast cases
by FAZL-UR-REHMAN
Why the trend of investigation in bomb blast cases is always the same? Why Muslims are targeted after some untoward happenings like the recent Bangalore and Ahmedabad serial blasts? Is there any bias among police officers and intelligence agencies with regard to Muslims? These were the questions thrown open for discussion in a seminar organised by Forum for Peace and Unity at Lucknow which was well attended by the intelligentsia, police and administrative officers and general public from different walks of life. The Director General of Police was the chief guest.
Presiding over the seminar, noted Muslim scholar Maulana Wali Rahmani, Sajjada Nasheen of Khanquah Munger and member All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said police agencies have different standards for different communities, Muslims are generally discriminated against and made scapegoats.
“More than 24000 schools run by RSS have spread rumours and canard about Muslims, and it has become so widespread that the youth who is recruited to the police force is communal,” he said while emphasising the need for a proper professional training for police recruits before assigning them duties.
The term terrorist has been fixed for Muslims, he said. Giving examples of MCC, ULFA, Veerappan, etc., he said that they killed many innocents but they are not termed terrorist because they belong to the majority community.
He further said Bengali speaking Muslims are harassed in the name of Bangladeshis.
Maulana Rahmani refuted the charge of one of the speakers that there are ten crore Bangladeshis in India. He said, “There are about 95 lakh Bangladeshis only in India, according to a home ministry report, but all the Bengali speaking people if they are Muslims are termed as Bangladeshis and they are harassed especially after bomb blasts.”
Maulana Rahmani said that secularism is not only the need of the Muslims of India but is required for the integrity and betterment of the whole country and each community residing in India. Otherwise the foreign policy, internal policy and the sovereignty of the country will be ruined, he said.
Castigating the UPA and NDA for surrendering the interest of the country to the USA, Maulana Rahmani said it will bring negative results for the country in the coming years.
Earlier, Gyasuddin Qidwai, chairman State Minorities Commission, set the stage for a heated debate by saying that Muslims have a low trust level as far as the police and state agencies are concerned. The police must try to find out the truth and not merely look for conviction, he said and argued that Mossad, CIA and other foreign agencies are working in India and they should be brought under the purview of investigation.
He narrated how the Rajasthan STF picked up Maulana Abdul Mateen Madani from Jamia Salafia, Varanasi without following the legal procedure and was taken to Jaipur in connection with the Jaipur blasts. When they reached Kanpur they were asked by the UP police to bring Maulana Mateen back to Varanasi. He praised UP police for this.
Mr. Qidwai also highlighted the anti-national activities of Hindu extremist organisations like Hindu Uva Vahini. This organisation conducts weapons training camps in Gorakhpur, he said. He questioned the reluctance of the police in nabbing such hate mongers.
Criticising the Muslims for low voting percentage, Mr. Qidwai said that there is a lack of political leadership in the community and Muslims as a civil society fail to play an active role in a vibrant democratic set-up like India. He said, “Political awareness and able leadership is the need of the hour.”
Speaking on the occasion, Director General of UP Police Mr. Vikram Singh accepted that the police may falter on occasions and sometimes mistakes are committed by the police in identifying the suspects because of multiple names. He further said that police personnel have been directed to conduct raids and search operations taking along the lady officers, so that women in houses are not harassed.
The DGP kept silent on the mindset of the police but accepted that some officers use third degree due to lack of knowledge and training. He also said that he himself and his team are always available to redress the grievance of the community at any time and justice will be done.
Noted police officer V.N. Rai said that, since 1961 Muslims have faced the riots and the state could not play a responsible role. “On each occasion the reaction of the state has not been different from a silent constable watching from a distance,” he said.
Accepting the prevalent bias among the police administration, Mr. Rai also said that Muslims should not think that there are no terrorists among them. Giving the example of Lal Masjid of Pakistan, Mr. Rai appealed to the community to shun the extremist elements among them.
The president of Awadh Bar Association (High Court), Mr. Raghvendra Singh said that terrorism should not be associated with any religion. “Sikhs were looked with suspicion during the Khalistan movement and the same is happening with Muslims which is unfortunate,” he said. On the question of the boycott calls given by the respective bar associations of not taking up the cases of alleged terrorists, Mr. Singh said that these boycotts serve the purpose of discouraging anti-national elements. On protest from the audience present in the seminar hall, he said, “The boycott is not against any community and it’s not permanent.”
President of the Forum Maulana Zahir Ahmad Nadwi advocated the need to implement the police reforms. Professor Manzoor Ahmad said unless Muslims are duly represented in police and intelligence agencies, the cases of harassment will not stop. Journalist Hisamul Islam Siddiqui, S.M. Naseem (retired IPS) also spoke on the occasion. Distinguished gathering included noted activist Ms. Madhu Kukreja, Justice Ikramul Bari, Mumtaz Ahmad (IPS), Rizwan Ahmad (IPS), Raj Deep Singh (IPS) and Professor Sabra Habib.