By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government appointed former High Court Justice Shrikant Malte has formally initiated judicial enquiry in last year’s communal violence which was broke out in North Maharashtra city Dhule in which 6 Muslims were killed and nearly 100 were injured.
On the first hearing the secretary of Malte commission Mr. Yardikar informed the present activists and lawyers that the commission has received 417 affidavits so far and that depending upon those affidavits statements will be recorded from next hearing in the presence of retired Justice S. Malte.
On the request of Adv. Nihal Ansari the commission provided a copy of 417 affidavits which are filed with the commission. Secretary of the commission has requested both the parties to file wakalatnama on next date so that the commission may start with actual recording of evidences on the basis of 417 affidavits with the commission.
The Secretary of commission Mr. Yardikar officially met activists and lawyers of Jamiat Ulema ( Arshad Madni) in the commission’s office located in Bhau Saheb Medical college, Dhule. The hearing before commission was attended by social activists and Jamiat Ulema lawyers – Adv. Niyaz Ahmed Lodhi,Adv. Nihal Ahmed Ansari, Adv. Shahid Nadeem Ansari, Adv. Irfana Hamdani, Adv. S. M. Hanfi and others whereas Adv. Sushir Heere was present from the government.
Speaking to the TCN Jamiat Ulema Adv. Shahid Ansari said, “Police firing during the riots was totally unwarranted which resulted into the deaths of 6 innocent Muslims. We believe that the erring police officials will be taught a lesson by the Justice Malte Commission”.
Many Muslim organizations and political leaders had raised the issue of communal violence before the assembly just after the violence which was broke out in January 2013 and had alleged high handedness of police forces during the violence and had requested for judicial probe by a retired High Court judge.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan had then appointed former High Court Justice S. Malte to head the single member judicial commission to enquire the communal violence over a trivial issue of nonpayment of a food bill. The notification issued by the government had requested Justice S. Malte to probe if the district administration and the local police department effectively handled the situation arising out of violence. It had also requested to probe whether the police firing was necessary.
CM of Maharashtra had declared compensation of Rs. 1.21 Crore from CM Relief fund for the kin of deceased and injured in the riots. The district collector of Dhule had recommended CM not to compensate 6 deceased Muslims because they were part of the rioting mob but the CM office compensated their kin ignoring the collector’s recommendation. Recommendation of collector was thwarting because all the 3 FIRs which were registered in connection with the communal violence did not have 6 deceased Muslims name as accused persons.
Related:
Civil society fact finding team questions police ‘bias’ action in Dhule