By TwoCircles.net news desk
New Delhi: Manidra Shankar Gupta, chairperson of Assam-based Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC), has sent a memorandum to the office of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh urging him to order a fair enquiry into the October 30 serial blasts in Assam.
Condemning the deadly blasts in which about 90 people were killed and hundreds wounded, BHRPC has expressed concern over the tendency of communalizing the counter-terror effort, saying that “stereotyping a particular community will divide the people of the country which is exactly what the terrorists want.”
“The blasts in Assam on 30 October are another in the series of tragic blasts in which scores of people have been killed. BHRPC demands that the guilty be punished. The guilt should be determined in due process of law which is universally recognised as necessary to protect human rights of the suspects/accused. Human rights of the suspects cannot be done away with,” the memorandum reads.
“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 the terrorism triumphs because the state itself does the act of terror,” it further says.
Manidra Shankar Gupta has expressed concern that for every blast investigation is carried out on a set pattern whereby some Muslim organizations, real or fake, are blamed while involvement of Hindutva extremists in some blasts have not been investigated properly.
“The acts of terror have been occurring throughout the country and Home Ministry is watching helplessly. While earlier the investigation was focused around SIMI, many alleged culprits were put behind the bars and later some unknown entity named ‘Indian Mujahideen’ was projected as being responsible for some recent terror strikes such as Bangalore, Ahmadabad and Delhi blasts. Now it seems that another unknown entity calling itself ‘ISF-IM’ (Islamic Security Force of Indian Mujahideen) is being projected,” Gupta wrote in the memorandum.
Every time there is a bomb blast the agencies and the media immediately declare that it is done by some Muslim organization without any proof. Hundreds of innocent young boys have been picked up and are in illegal detentions, he said.
He said the Jamia Nagar encounter raised so many questions and the police are unable to answer them.
“At the same time another stark truth is being deliberately sidelined and undermined. And that relates to the blasts done by Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Samiti and other such ‘Hindutva’ outfit. We fail to understand as to why the investigation authorities are turning a blind eye to some of the well established facts,” he said.
He gave several examples of blasts wherein Hindutva extremists were found involved but proper probe was not carried out: Nanded blasts in April 2006 when two Bajrang Dal workers died when making bombs; a bomb blast took place at the RSS office at Tenkasi in the Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu; the bombs which exploded in Gadkari Rangayatan on 4th June 2008 injured seven people; on 24th August in Kanpur two Bajrang Dal workers died while making bombs.
“BHRPC hopes you will intervene and question why are such clear cases of involvement of RSS affiliates in terror attacks being ignored. It seems the investigating authorities deliberately want to cover up the role of RSS affiliates in these acts of terror. Can the real truth behind the dastardly acts come out without properly investigating these incidents, where the culprits’ involvement is very clear?” reads the memorandum.
BHRPC has urged the PM to instruct the investigating authorities to pursue the investigation in an unbiased, honest and professional manner. “The life of innocent citizens is at stake and such irresponsible cover will definitely prevent the real truth from coming out. For the sake of fairness, honesty and the values of our constitution, we need to pursue these cases in their logical direction.”
“In case of Assam the issue of ‘illegal migration’ aggravates the situation more. All Muslims and particularly Bengali speaking Muslims are projected as being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, though history of Bengali speaking Muslims living in some part of Assam (Barak Valley) is traced to 15th century AD and most of the present day Muslims are descendents of converted indigenous people. Now the whole community is termed as ‘Bangladeshi Jehadi Terrorists’” the memorandum says.
Manidra Shankar Gupta has urged the Prime Minister to make his Government to rise above partisan attitude and unravel the truth behind the blasts which are rocking the country in a painful way.