By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Admitting that the war on terror in India has made civil rights its first casualty, renowned Supreme Court lawyer Nandita Haksar called upon the Muslim community leaders to make the masses aware of legal and human rights and do a planned lobbying among politicians and lawyers.
Delivering her key note address at a symposium on “Protection of Civil Rights in Present Scenario” at India Islamic Cultural Centre here today, Haksar said the family, lawyer and the organization working on the case have rights to visit interrogation cells where their people are being questioned.
There is a need to do lobbying among lawyers and politicians in the cases of human rights violations.
Talking in the context of recent spate of serial bombings in the country and large scale arresting of people from the minority community, she said human rights organizations should demand white paper on the issue from the government. Or they themselves should prepare the document and bring to public.
She emphasized on documentation of cases of civil rights violations.
As several minorities in the country are under attack, there is a need for cooperation and solidarity among them, she said.
Talking on a relevant topic though not directly linked to the topic of the discussion, Delhi Minority commission chairman Kamal Farooqui said the elders and Muslim organizations should have an eye on the publications of the youth organization SIMI. The community should have checked on the SIMI’s fiery literature and publications. In his view its literature landed them in trouble.
Replying to Farooqui’s point, Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, president of All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat, said SIMI’s publications were within the constitutional right of expression. As an organization it had never been involved in violence. Some individuals may be involved in such act.
On how to protect civil rights he said there is a need of permanent legal cell to pursue such cases till the end. And there is need for campaigns for legal rights awareness among the Muslim masses.