Hyderabad, January 18: Calling on the government to immediately announce the release of Muslim youth who were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the Makkah Masjid blast case, AP Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee general secretary Lateef Mohammed Khan said that the unfortunate victims of false arrests must be paid compensation and also given government jobs.
Addressing media persons at press conference in the city on Monday, Mr Lateef Khan pointed out that the one Swami Aseemanand had accepted the involvement of a Hindu organisation for the bomb blast which had taken place on May 18, 2007.
Producing three of the youths accused for the bombing, Dr Ibrahim Junaid, Mohammed Abdur Raheem and one Rayees, who is the eyewitness in the firing incident at the DGP office in which another Muslim youth was killed by the Gujarat police, Mr Lateef Khan said that the three have been falsely implicated and tortured in custody by the police.
Giving elaborate details about the time of the youth in jail, Mr Lateef Khan pointed out how the youths from the Muslim community were not only accused of the bomb blast at the Masjid, but were also subjected to prolonged torture to extract their confessions.
The Civil Rights activists demanded that the state government not only apologise for their detention but also release them compensation, apart from an apology and a government job so that they can get back in the mainstream after their horrifying experiences.
Earlier on December 16, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had declared that the state government was willing to apologise to the members of the Muslim community if allegations of police excesses against the community youth in the aftermath of the Makkah Masjid blast were proved.
Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy had said that, “not only would the government apologise to the Muslim youth, but would also extend financial help to those who are found to have been wrongly implicated in blast-related cases.”
The Chief Minister had also added that, “The government is concerned about innocent youths, not only of the Muslim community, but about all youths who are alleged to have been deliberately harassed by the police. The government is ready to apologise unconditionally if it was proved that anyone was deliberately harassed.”
INN