By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net,
Angered over the communal flare up in Bhainsa in Adilabad district and frustrated over the failure and inaction of the state government, the Muslim leadership in Andhra Pradesh has put the ruling Congress party on notice.
The Muttaheda Majlis-e-Amal (United Action Committee), comprising of all the major Muslim organizations in the state, after discussing the communal riots in Bhainsa and Vatoli, which claimed ten lives, directly blamed the Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and the Home Minister K Jana Reddy for the situation.
“If such incidents continue and the government remains silent, then we can not ask the Muslims in the state to support the Congress party in future”, said Moulana Hameeduddin Aqul Hussami, the president of MMA. “We toured thousands of kms across the state in 2004 to appeal to the people to vote for Congress. But what we are getting now is the violence and oppression against the Muslim community”, he said.
The meeting was attended by Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, representatives of Jamat-e-Islami, Tameer-e-Millat, Amarat-e-Millat Islamia, Majlis-e-Ulema-e-Deccan, Anjuman-e-Quadari, Tanzeeme-Jafari, and several Islamic educational institution.
While four persons were killed in the riots which broke out in Bhainsa on Friday last during Durga procession, six members of a family were burnt in Vatoli village on Sunday.
“The riots in Bhainsa are the direct result of the abject dereliction of duty by the police and the failure of the intelligence”, said Moulana Abdul Raheem Qureshi, the secretary of MMA. “Despite our repeated pleas in the past, the government has not take any action against the police officials who are following the agenda of RSS and targeting the Muslim community in the state”, he said.
The MMA said that the Sangh Parivar and its front organizations like Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Vahini were responsible for the riots in Bhaina town of Adilabad district which broke out on Friday last.
“Instead of controlling the rioting mob, who were looting and burning the property of Muslim minority, the police opened fire at the Muslims who were trying to save their property and place of worship”, Moulana Qureshis said.
He said that the shops and houses were selectively targeted by the mobs. “69 properties of the minority community were burnt and looted”, he said.
The MMA rejected the claim of the state government that no body was killed in police firing. “The two Muslim youth were the victims of the police bullets and there are photographic evidence to prove this. But the communal elements in the police force were trying to convince the government otherwise”, he said.
On the Vatoli village incident, the MMA refuted the statement of the police that the six member of a family were killed because of short circuit. “This is utter non sense. The bodies had injuries on them. One leg of the head of the family Mahboob Khan was cut off and it was found at another place. It was obvious that they were killed and then burnt. But the government is trying to show it as an accident”, he said.
SM Mallik, a senior leader of Jamat-e-Islami Hind rued that even several days after the incidents in Bhainsa and Vatoli, the government has not said any thing or even expressed regrets. He said that the incidents in Adilabad district were part of the anti minority violence across the country including Assam, Orissa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to polarize the Hindus and Muslims.
MMA’s delegation will meet the Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy and the Prime Ministe Manmohan Singh to press their demand for action against the guilty police officials and banning of the new religious processions.
The MMA has also demanded the state government to recommend to the center to ban the organizations like Bajrang Dal, VHP and their front organizations.