By Mohd. Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: They had to wait for justice for 18 years. It came on May 4 when the Bombay High Court acquitted nine Muslims who were implicated in the Suleman Bakery firing case. The Mumbai police had fired at a group of Muslims during the communal riots that erupted in the city after the demolition of Babri Masjid, but these innocents were made accused of firing.
Giving details to TwoCircles.net, Advocate Sagheer Khan, who was assisting Adv. Vijay Pradhan under the supervision of senior Supreme Court Advocate Yusuf Muchchala, Chairman of Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), said: “Mumbai High Court Judge Ms. Soundur Baldota acquitted Ashfaque Ahmed, Noorul Huda among others, who were on bail but facing mental trauma due to this case for last 18 years.”
Bombay High Court [Photo Courtesy: mumbailocal.net]
The case relates to the arrest of 76 persons during the riots from the area near the Suleman Bakery, after a counter-complaint was registered by the police when 17 police officers, including former Mumbai Police Commissioner RD Tyagi were charged for firing and killing nine Muslims on January 9, 1993.
Adv. Sagheer said that this is a unique case of its own kind. First the Police under the former Police Commissioner, RD Tyagi, who after the retirement joined Shiv Sena, fired and killed 9 innocent Muslims and then filed a false case against 76 other innocents who took refuge in the mosque and the Bakery.
Adv. Sagheer said that Special Task Force (STF), formed following the Srikrishna Commission report, filed another charge sheet against former Police Commissioner RD Tyagi and other police man in the same Suleman Usman Bakery case. He said STF stated, “R.D. Tyagi used excessive and unnecessary firing resulting in the death of nine innocent Muslims in the Suleman Bakery incident at Mohammed Ali Road”.
Adv. Sagheer said that after the filing of the second charge sheet, the accused that were charge sheeted earlier should have been released but it happened otherwise. “Police demanded that the case of first charge sheet must be finalized first and then the other charge sheet where the police were found guilty,” informed Adv. Sagheer.
He said the lower court ordered in favor of the Police “but finally the High Court accepted our demand and released these accused.”
After yesterday’s judgment, trial should be initiated against the Policemen who were found guilty by the STF.
The Srikrishna Commission, set up to investigate the post Babri riots in Mumbai, had asked for many cases to be reopened but the special task force only scrutinized 112 cases of which eight were reopened. On what basis only these 112 cases were scrutinized is itself a question.