By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Mounting pressure on the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre for a judicial probe into the Batla House encounter, the Coordiantion Committee of Indian Muslims (CCIM), an umbrella body of leading Muslim organizations, held a protest demonstration today at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. CCIM was formed last year in the wake of rising incidence of minority witchhunting following terror strikes in the country.
Addressing the protest rally, CCIM leaders denounced the National Human Rights Commission report on the September 19, 2008 encounter as, they said, it is just a copy of the police version of the encounter. They rejected it saying it one-sided as the apex human rights body did not bother to talk to families of the victims, neighbors and civil and human rights groups who had exposed loopholes in the police story about the encounter.
Two Azamgarh youths, whom police described as terror suspects, were killed by the police in the shootout. Delhi police inspector M C Sharma had also sustained bullet injuries which he succumbed to in the evening on the same day.
NHRC in its report submitted to the Delhi High Court last week said the police did not violate any human right in this case. It opened fire in its self defence, said the report.
Addressing the protest rally Dr S Q R Ilyas, executive committee member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, termed the NHRC report a blot and a question mark on its credibility. He described the report as shameful because it just toed the line of the police.
Abdur Rasheed Agwan, executive committee member, All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat, said there should be a judicial enquiry for every encounter, not only for Batla House encounter. He refuted the government’s argument for not allowing probe that this will demoralize the police force. “Police can commit mistakes in executing its duty and so if it is found guilty in some case this will not demoralize them. But no enquiry in the Batla encounter will certainly demoralize the minority community,” he said.
Addressing the protestors Maulana Nizamuddin, leader of Ulema Council which has now become part of CCIM, said time has come for the people to rise against the opressive government. There is a need to change the power system so that the marginalized and minorities could get their rights, he maintained. We won’t sit unless our demand of judicial probe is accepted, he announced. Ulema Council had brought its supporters in three buses from Azamgarh.
Shia leader Maulana Zeeshan Hidayati also lambasted the NHRC for the report. “It is shameful that protector of human rights could not protect the rights of the innocents,” he said.
At the end of the protest rally, a delegation of the CCIM in the leadership of its convenor Mujtaba Farooq, who is political affairs secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, went to meet Home Minister P Chidambaram and demand judicial probe into the encounter. As the minister was not in the office, the delegation submitted a memorandum to his office.
Text of the memorandum:
A demonstration by citizens of Delhi was organized on July 28, 2009, under the auspices of the “Coordination Committee of Indian Muslims”. The gathering demanded the following from the Government of India.
1) To ensure justice and transparency, all riots and disruptive acts of the last decade, should be probed into; by an independent high powered commission. The commission, should, is a time bound frame, identify the real culprits; the report of the commission should be made public.
2) The Batla House encounter 2008 should be enquired into, by a high powered judicial probe, to ascertain the truth. The gathering rejects all attempts to justify the police version; without conducting an independent inquiry based on independent accounts, by reliable witnesses.
3) Reforms should be initiated in the Police and Law Enforcement machinery and the recommendations of National Police Commission should be immediately implemented.
4) Effective legal mechanism should be evolved to check and curb police atrocities, illegal detentions, fake encounters, tortures, custodial deaths and fabricated accusations.
5) Harassment of relatives and well wishers of the detainees should be stopped and a whole locality should not be targeted or victimized.
6) Confidential reports and confessions extracted under duress must not be leaked to the media. Effective regulations and legal mechanism should be enacted to ensure fair and unbiased reporting in media.
7) All initiatives for undemocratic and unjust legislation should be stopped and all those legislations in various states should be cancelled wherein confessions in police custody are made admissible in courts or which allow police to keep persons arrested without filing charge sheets or which violate human rights in anyway.
8) Measures should be adopted to promote human values, respect for human life, tolerance and co-operation so that we can build a hatred free and peaceful India.
9) Justice should not be delayed. Comprehensive reforms in the judicial system should be initiated to ensure speedy delivery of justice. All those residing in jails for more than five years, pending a judgment in their case; should be immediately released. All those who are eligible for bail, but lack financial resources, should be granted bail and released from custody.
10) The horrible conditions in jails should be changed through comprehensive measures of j ail reform.
11) Those arrested in the aftermath of the deplorable Batla House episode are on police remand, even now after a passage often months. Under some pretext or other, they are being continuously harassed and tortured. This cruel process should immediately stop; their cases should be speedily brought to trial and decided, as per law.
Signed by:
Mr. Mujtaba Farooq, Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind,
Ml. Abdul Hamid Naumani, Secretary Jamiat Ulema Hind
Ml. Muqeem Faizi, General Secretary Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith,
Ml. Abdul Wahab Khilji, President Indian Islahi Movement
Ml. Ameeduzzama Keranvi, President Tanzim Abna-e-Qadeem Darul Uloom Deoband
Mr. A. R. Agwan, AIIMM
Dr. Tasleem Rahmani, President Muslim Political Council
Mr. Suhail K.K. President Students Islamic Organisation of India
Ml. Aamir Rashadi, President Ulema Council, Azamgarh
Ml. Zeeshan Hidayati, President Majlis-e-Fikro Amal
Dr. S.Q. R. Ilyas, All India Muslim Personal Law Board
Member Organisations:
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulema Hind, Jamiat Ahle Hadees, All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat, Muslim Political Council of India, Ulema Council Azamgarh, Students Islamic Organisation of India, Majlis Fikr o Amal, Majlis Ulema Hind