TCN Staff Correspondent,
New Delhi: In an important development today Wajahat Habibullah, the Chairperson of the National Minorities Commission (NCM), has expressed strong dissatisfaction over the casual approach of the government of Bihar as well as the state police officials over the issue of Forbesganj killing.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, dated 14th June, Habibullah wrote, “The Commission is entirely dissatisfied with the report received from Araria District SP Ms. Garima Malik, which fails to explain why it should have become necessary for the police to open fire so indiscriminately as to target women and babies, and disappointed by the communication received from Shri Amir Subhani, Home Secretary Bihar.”
Habibullah informed about the strong stand taken by the NCM over the Forbesganj firing, when a team of civil rights activists met him today, June 16, 2011 in order to express their anger and distress over the police firing in Forbesganj, in which four people, including an infant were shot dead at pointblank range by the Bihar Police on 3rd June. The team sought his urgent intervention to ensure justice for the victims of the horrendous torture and killings.
Disappointed by the casual approach of the Bihar government, Habibullah has also decided to lead a team to visit Forbesganj on 21st June to make a first-hand assessment of the situation. The following day, the team will also be seeking a report from the Chief Minister on the action taken in this matter.
Importantly thirteen days after the Forbesganj firing, this is the first strong reaction of any national level commission to the official apathy towards the victims of the state terror of the powerless and the marginalized.
The team which was comprised of Mahtab Alam and Iqbal Ahmed (Committee for Justice for Victims of Forbesganj Firing) and Manisha Sethi and Ahmed Sohaib (Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association) urged the Chairperson to pay a visit to the injured victims in PMCH, whose miseries are being compounded by the lack of medical attention and government apathy.
The activists also reiterated their demand that the injured must be provided the best possible medical care on government expense Reacting to the news of NCM’s strong stand on Forbesganj, the civil rights activists said, “We welcome the active intervention of the Commission Chairperson and hope that the NHRC will also take note of the gravity of human rights violations of the poorest and the most marginalized people by the government of Bihar.”
The delegation also submitted a memorandum to the NCM’s chief with the signatures among others by the office bearers of ANHAD, AISA, NAPM, and INSAF.