By TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Shocked with the nonstop arrest of Muslim young boys from here and there apparently in connection with terror cases and disappointed by the cold attitude of central and state governments towards the grievances of the victim families and the community, Indian Muslim leaders are now planning to approach international human rights bodies as they say all these detentions/arrests are illegal and brazenly violate human rights enshrined in Indian laws and constitution.
Leaders of Muslim organizations under the banner of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat sat Tuesday evening here in the backdrop of detention of Bihar engineer Fasih Mahmood and two Kashmiri students of Jamiatul Falah. Both incidents have happened in last 15 days. Mahmood was picked and reportedly deported on 13th May on the request of Indian authorities from Saudi Arabia where he worked as an engineer at company. Even after 17 days, Mahmood’s whereabouts is still unknown, he has not been produced in court, his family has not been informed. Two Kashmiri students of Jamiatual Falah were picked from Kaifiyat Express at Aligarh station on 24th May reportedly by UP ATS. Even after 6 days their whereabouts is also not known, neither family, nor their madrasa have been informed about the detention, they haven’t been produced in court either.
The community leaders elaborately discussed such incidents happened in last 10 years. An unknown figure of youths was picked, detained, hundreds prosecuted, and dozens have got acquitted in terror cases. According to Dr Tasleem Rahmani, president, Muslim Political Council of India, who also attended the meeting, it was decided to prepare a comprehensive document comprising details of all disappearances, detentions, arrests, and acquittals and then approach international human rights bodies.
The meeting also decided to set up a legal cell at national and state level to take up such incidents.
Two days back (28th May 2012) the Muslim leaders had sent a memorandum to P Chidambaram, Union Home Minister and Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities telling them that the Muslim community is alarmed at “the resumed serial, at random and unending saga of arrests of Muslim youth from various parts of the country on apparently no tangible charges, two more such recent incidents are agitating the community.”
The memorandum gave details about the latest two incidents – of Fasih Mahmood, and two Kashmiri students of Jamiatul Falah.
“The Muslim community is pained to see this continuing saga which has earlier seen Journalist Kazmi’s arrest while seemingly there is no evidence against him. We request you to kindly look into the above two matters on an urgent basis in order to offer some solace to the families of these victims who have fell foul of the security agencies’ultra vigilance where victims are picked up on mere suspicion without any real, hard and tangible proof and thereafter they are kept under illegal detention while the agencies try to somehow obtain some incriminating “evidence” or secure their forced confession via torture which is illegal and against India’s international obligations,” the memorandum reads.
The leaders said that these incidents “are seriously eroding the Muslim community’s goodwill towards UPA.”
Those attended the Mushawarat meeting included:
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, President, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat
Muhammad Ahmad, Political Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind
Dr Tasleem Rahmani, President, Muslim Political Council of India
Maulana Asghar Imam Mehdi, general secretary, Jamiat Ahle Hadith
Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji,
Ejaz Aslam, Editor, Radiance Viewsweekly
Mujtaba Farooq, Chairman, Coordination Committee for Indian Muslims and
Dr SQR Ilyas, General Secretary, Welfare Party of India could not attend being out of Delhi.