By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Several Muslim organizations and NGOs on Tuesday jointly organized a protest demonstration in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan against the arrest of Gujarat IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt. The demonstrators strongly condemend the arrest and demanded Bhatt’s immediate release. Bhatt, who exposed Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s involvement in the 2002 pogrom, was arrested by the state police on 30th September.
Citizen for Peace and Justice, All India Milli Council, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Federation of Minorities, Movement for Peace and Justice, Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan and Ulema Assoication condemned Narendra Modi in one voice and termed his act as atrocious and a threat to the people fighting for justice of the victims of the Gujarat riots.
Maulana Syed Athar Ali of Ulema Assoication said, “I have no word to describe the evil like Narendra Modi. If he thinks that he would sustain in the government and will continue suppressing the truth then he is living in fool’s paradise.”
“Gujarat has become a graveyard of humanity, justice peace and brotherhood where innocents are jailed and culprits are roaming free,” said Aslam Ghazi of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
Rashid Azeem, President of All India Milli Council said, “Democracy and Secularism left Gujarat in the rule of Narendra Modi. Whoever is speaking against Modi is targeted.” He also called upon the civil society to raise their voice against the worst kind of Communalism prevalent in the state. Azim later informed the media that they are jointly writing a letter to the Prime Minister, Home Minister and the Governer of Gujarat against the injustice.
Farid Khan of Majlise Shoora described Narendra modi as a blot on the Indian Democracy.
Meanwhile, Abu Asim Azmi, President of Samajwadi Party Maharashtra has said that the arrest of Sanjeev Bhatt is an attempt to threaten the victims of Gujarat riot 2002. He urged the Congress-led UPA government in the center to pressurize the Gujarat Government not to harass the upright and honest Officers.
Sanjeev Bhatt is a crucial witness in several cases in which senior functionaries of the Gujarat government are accused of conspiring to commit mass crimes, destroying evidence and subverting the course of justice.