Hyderabad, May 23:Forum for Social Justice, an organisation looking into Human Rights Violations, Causes and Remedies expressed the view that removal of flags and buntings for celebration of Hanuman Jayanti could not have led to the riots which struck the Old City of Hyderabad in late March this year. According to a press release by the Forum, it wanted to ascertain whether there was any other ground or force behind the communal riots.
The Forum therefore constituted a fact-finding committee with Former Judge Gujarat and Lok Ayukta, Gujarat Justice Soni as its Chairperson with members of former Bhilai DGP Basudev Dubey, Air Marshal RS Bedi as its members and with former Chief Engineer, Chandigarh Charanji Rai as its member-secretary. The Committee visited Hyderabad from May 21 to May 23. The Committee visited the affected localities and met the affected persons there.
The Committee also visited the religious places affected during the riots. Besides this, the committee visited houses of the victims and discussed matters. The committee also saw some of the leaders of the political parties, media persons, former IAS and IPS officers and tried to gather information pertaining to the riots and causes behind the riots and seek remedies.
On meeting the affected persons in the localities, leaders of political parties, some media persons, and the former officials of government, the Committee member-secretary said that a detailed report is under preparation. However, prima facie, it appears that the cause advanced for riots doesn’t appear to be the simple removal of flags and buntings. It appears that some force had worked behind it. The Government, unlike in the past, has not provided compensation this time to the victims /affected persons, they prima facie findings suggested. Though there appears that a peace committee is there, it has not come forward to look into the matter or held any meeting.
On meeting the people, it transpired that some outsiders were involved in the riots, but it does not make clear whether those outsiders were from different localities of the city or from outside the city or state.INN