By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) in its report probing Forbesganj police firing, has shown an unprecedented amount of caution, in criticizing the police for the alleged atrocities and human rights violations during police firing on June 3 in a Bihar village.
Bihar police gunned down four persons, including a pregnant woman and an infant on June 3, 2011 when the villagers were protesting against blocking of the connecting road at Bhajanpura village in Forbesganj of Araria district in Bihar.
Terming the police firing as “failure of governance” the NCM has asked the state government to ensure speedy rehabilitation of the families affected by the episode suggesting some short term as well as some long term measures to achieve the purpose.
The minority panel has also suggested the state government to provide an alternative access road to the villagers.
Without any strong words and indictment of the state police the NCM report just reprimand the police for showing “scant regard for the loss of human life” and for focusing “entirely on damage to property.”
Conspicuously, citing the ongoing judicial enquiry, the commission has avoided commenting on the alleged police atrocities and human rights violation during the entire episode which prompted an enquiry by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Its also important to mention here that the police reportedly acted on behalf of the BJP MLC and the factory owner Ashok Agarwal for whose factory the villagers road was blocked.
“The Commission will express no view on how we consider the incident was handled and who can be held responsible for the tragic loss of life…,”says the NCM report.
The Minority panel remains silent in spite of the fact that there are enough evidences have been reported to suggest police atrocities and human rights violations of the members of minority community, including a policeman expressing his vengeance by stomping on the body of a man killed by the police.
The commission report is also silent on the role of the factory owner and the BJP MLC Ashok Agarwal on whose instructions the firing was ordered. There are also some witness who allege that it was Agarwal who led the police firing and was present on the spot when the police firing took place.
The NCM also talks about “urgent steps for the rehabilitation of the families of those affected by engaging the survivors and those injured in occupations that will give them a sustainable livelihood, taking advantage of the many MSD schemes to benefit the minorities.”
The short term recommendations in this regard include “training and employing local labor from Bhajanpur for the manual and construction needs of the plant and the offices, and later training them for the factory jobs.”
L-R: Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan,Member, NCM,Syeda Bilgrami Imam, NCM chief Wajahat Habibullah and Araria MLA Zakir Hussain at Bhajanpur village in Forbesganj on 21st June 2011
Talking about the long term recommendation, the report highlights the “failure” of the minority related schemes including the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) to reach to the “intended beneficiaries” in the Araria district which is one of the 90 minority concentrated districts.
“A sum of Rs. 1041.00 lakhs has been released for the construction of 694 Anganwari centres in the district but most of them are located in areas with a negligible Muslim population,” highlights the report.
So the report suggests that “Bhajanpur village should be singled out for special effort, investing in the MSDP schemes to help integrate its population into the processes of development and progress of the State.”
Link to the full report: http://ncm.nic.in/pdf/Bhajanpur_Meeting.pdf