NCM Chairperson also said that he is in touch with all concerned parties and is trying for some negotiated solution to the dispute over road.
By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Wajahat Habibullah, the chairperson of the National commission on minorities said that he is personally looking in to the Forbesganj police firing case and that he is hopeful for negotiated solution acceptable to all concerned parties, on the dispute over road cutting across the proposed factory site.
“I am personally looking into the Forbesganj case. I am also in touch with the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar,” he told TCN.
When asked on the dragging of cases and failure of the state government in giving compensation to the victims, he reminded that any compensation could not be provided as the appointed judicial commission has not yet submitted its report.
NCM Chairperson Wajahat Habibullah at his office in New Delhi.
He, however, said that he has urged the state government and the judicial commission to speed up the process, and added, “I have offered to the Bihar government to mediate for some negotiated solution to the dispute over road.”
It’s been over two years to the brutal police firing at the unarmed protesters in Forbesganj as they were demonstrating against the blockade of the only connecting road to their village Bhajanpur with the block office, market and Idgah on June 3, 2011.
TwoCircles.net was the first to report the police firing and it was largely because of our sustained reporting that the state and civil society had taken cognizance and several political leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav and National Minority Commission Chairman Wajahat Habibullah had made visits to this hamlet.
L-R: Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan,Member, NCM,Syeda Bilgrami Imam, NCM chief Wajahat Habibullah and Araria MLA Zakir Hussain at Bhajanpur village in Forbesganj on 21st June 2011
NCM Chairperson had visited the Bhajanpur village on June 21, 2011, accompanied by Syeda Bilgrami Imam, NCM member and met with the family members of the victims and assured them of all kinds of support. He had also met the visiting family members of victims in Delhi.
Wajahat Habibullah also told TCN that the factory owners have built an alternative road, only few hundred meters further from the present route, and has assured to employ villagers in the factory as well as develop infrastructure for the village, including building school and road.
He said that he is hopeful of a settlement to the road dispute in near future.
However, when TCN correspondent visited the Bhajanpur hamlet, villagers clearly seem divided over the bone of contention that has already taken four lives. They do not appear to flinch from their position over using the same road, they have been using for decades.
Related:
‘Bloody’ road of Forbesganj: No settlement in site?
TCN Special series and in-depth coverage on the Forbesganj Police firing