By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: We need Anna Hazare to get justice for 9 Malegaon blast accused,” said Advocate Nehal Ahmed Ansari who is defence lawyer for eight of nine Muslim youths accused in the 2006 Malegaon blast. All nine are in jail for last five years even though Hindutva terror suspect Swami Aseemanand has admitted the role of saffron terror groups behind the blasts in the Muslim dominated town of Maharashtra.
Referring to the withdrawal of Boycott of Government’s Iftar Party by Muslim activists and NGOs in Mumbai, Adv Nehal on Sunday said, “our political leaders and social activists failed to get justice for us and we need Anna Hazare who himself hails from Maharashtra to fight against injustice.”
L-R: Ajit Pawar, Milind Deora, Prithvi raj Chouhan, Arif Nasim Khan, standing behind, S M Krishna, Anees Ahmed in iftar party in Haj house Mumbai
Adv. Nehal is critical of the Congress-NCP led Maharashtra government’s double standard and lip services.
While talking to TwoCircles.net he said, “After all these meetings with the politicians nothing has changed. Our representatives are getting lip services but we did not see any positive legal action from the government.”
Referring to the release of Shivnarayan Kalsangra and Shyam Sahu, right wing Hindu terror suspects who got bail from the court recently, he said, “In our case nothing legally has changed since 2006 and we are still the culprits in the eyes of law.”
Abu Asim Azmi MLA, Samajwadi Party in Iftar Party of Chief Minister
Criticizing the investigating agencies Adv. Nehal said, “From the Malegaon Police to the ATS and CBI to NIA every investigative agency did nothing and could not submit their report before the court.” He said “it is only on the day when the central government declared CBI to take over the case; ATS Maharashtra filed the charge sheet.”
Even CBI did not submit its investigation report before the court and after public pressure they supported the chargesheet filed by the ATS. CBI opposed the bail of 9 Muslim Malegaon blast accused even after the confession of Swami Aseemanand.
Adv. Nehal also informed TCN that some special Public prosecutors, like Adv. Mundargi, who are fighting the case for the government against 9 Muslim Malegaon blast accused are the lawyers of right wing Hindu accused in the same case.
It’s not long ago when Mumbai witnessed a meeting of NGOs and activists from Mumbai and Malegaon who announced to boycott the government Iftar Parties and even Milli Council spread SMS, “Malegaon ke Begunaho ki rihai ya sarkari iftar party…faisla Apka” (Release of Malegaon blast accused or government iftar party? You decide”.
Listening to the boycott call Prithvi Raj Chouhan, chief Minister of Maharashtra called some activists from Mumbai who were part of the Boycott call and assured them that he himself will lead the delegation of Muslim MLAs and activists from Mumbai to meet the Home Minister P Chidambaram and he did so on 17th August, 2011.
The delegation led by the Chief Minister met the Home minister P Chidambaram and law and minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid who gave them positive response.