Hyderabad, August 08: Mr. Wajahat Habeebullah, Chairman, National Minorities Commission, New Delhi wrote a letter to Mr. N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Chief Minister of A.P. to take action on the recommendations of the commission pertaining to Makkah Masjid bomb blast victims which are as follows:
1. Legal action should be taken against the police officers who imprisoned the innocent youths.
2. Victims should be rehabilitated by providing employment commensurate with their qualifications.
3. Rs. 3 lakh should be paid to each victim as compensation.
4. Consider deducting the amount of compensation from the salaries of erring police officials.
5. All those who have been exonerated from fake charges should be given good conduct certificates so that they can lead a respectable and peaceful life.
6. A.P. State Minorities Commission should be reconstituted.
Mr. Wajahat Habeebullah further requested the CM to take immediate action and report to the commission within a month.
It may be recalled that after the bomb blast in Makkah Masjid on 18th May 2007 and later at Lumbini Park police without any proof was harping on the involvement of Muslim terrorist organizations whereas no Muslim organization had accepted the responsibility of these blasts.
Siasat has been refuting this claim and exposed the conspiracy of the local police. It brought all the human rights organizations working for this cause to a common platform and conducted a public tribunal. Human Rights activists like Harsh Mandar, Shabnam Hashmi, Teesta Seetalwad, Amarish Mishra, Dr. Rehana Sultana, Ms. Anuradha, Dr. Rama Melkote, Ms. Nirmala Gopal Krishnam, Mr. Suresh Khernar, Mr. Lateef Mohammed Khan, Maj.S.G.M. Quadri and many others supported this cause.
Muslim advocates of the city pleaded the cases of these innocent youths and got them released from the courts. Siasat also helped them to deposit surety amount. Mr. Yousuf Qureshi, former chairman, A.P. State Minorities Commission, without caring for his long standing loyalty to Congress Party appointed Mr. Ravi Chandra as Advocate Commissioner to probe into the allegations leveled against the Innocent Muslim youths by the police. Mr. Ravi Chandra had earlier appeared on behalf of BJP to challenge the reservation order issued by the Govt. when he was appointed as Advocate Commissioner, he discharged his duty honestly and exposed all the aspects of police atrocities. In his report he categorically blamed the police for violating human rights. A.P. State Minorities Commission submitted a report to the Govt. of A.P. based on his findings but the Govt. neither presented this report in the State Aseembly nor took any action on it.
Despite these unfavourable circumstances, Siasat and other human rights organizations continued their efforts. A case was filed in the court by Mr. Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Managing Editor, Siasat, Mr. Harsh Mandar, Maj. S.G.M. Quadri, Mr. Lateef Mohammed Khan, Mr. Mohammed Abdur Rahim Quraishi. Mr. Mohammed Faiyaz Ali Khan, father of Dr. Junaid also helped the movement.
These recommendations of the Natiional Minorities Commission are a slap on our state police. Some communal and narrow-minded police officers had falsely involved innocent Muslim youths in the bomb blast cases concealing the crimes of the actual culprits. So far, the Govt. has not apologized for its atrocities and injustice done to innocent Muslims. Now the time has come that the Govt should tender its apology officially and take sterm action against the erring police officials. It may not be untrue if we say that the steadfastness of the innocent Muslim youths guaranteed their success.
——Siasat News