By TwoCircles.net news desk
New Delhi: The Assam-based Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC) has demanded the state and Central government to check on the trend of communalizing the counterterrorism strategies and actions and protect human rights while investigating into terror attacks.
BHRPC has condemned the horrendous massacre caused by serial blasts in Assam on 30 October, which took lives of about 90 people, injured nearly 400 and burnt to ashes hundreds of shops, cars and other properties.
Manindra Shankar Gupta, chairperson of BHRPC, has offered condolences to the family members of the deceased and wishes speedy recovery of the injured.
Gupta termed the act as a blow to the humanity and a challenge to the Indian state to uphold and adhere to the tenets of democracy and human rights. “Such acts of terror are committed with intent to establish anarchy by terrorizing the whole society and defeating the rule of law,” he added.
Gupta also said that in countering terrorism the state often succumbs to the design of the terrorists by failing to respect the human rights of the people including the accused. “When this happens terrorism triumphs because the state itself does the act of terror,” he said adding that failure to respect human rights creates breeding ground of terrorism.
BHRPC has expressed apprehension that a trend of communalizing the counter-terror effort, which has developed of late, is ominous for the country.
“Stereotyping a particular community will divide the people of the country which is exactly what the terrorists want,” Gupta said and urged the State and Union Governments to conduct a prompt, impartial and objective investigation into the blasts, pay ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and one lakh to the injured and adequate compensation for the destroyed property immediately.
Gupta also urged the people to maintain peace and calm and to be active in fighting this menace of terrorism, because terrorism cannot be defeated by the government alone.