By TCN News,
Ahmedabad: Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, president of the Gujarat unit of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, has clarified that he was quoted in the wrong context in the news story titled “Gujarat only state where riot accused punished: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind” posted on TwoCircles.net on September 12, 2011.
He said that what he had stated was that the accused involved in the communal riots of 2002 were punished with efforts of the civil society members and human rights activists, despite extremely hostile administration, complicated and costly judicial system.
He said that this was the biggest achievement of the civil society and human rights activists anywhere in the country.
The unedited story filed by TCN Special Correspondent in Ahmedabad is given below:
`Riot accused punished in Gujarat only’: Gujarat Jammat-e-Islami Hind president Dr. Shakeel Ahmed
TCN
AHMEDABAD, SEPTEMBER 12:
“Gujarat is the only state in the country where perpetrators of the communal riots have been punished”.
This was stated by Ameer-e-Halqa(President) of the state unit of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Dr. Shakeel Ahmed while speaking at an Eid Milan programme organised by the JIH’s Ahmedabad (West) on Sunday evening.
He made these comments while responding to queries raised by some speakers saying that Gujarat Muslims had gradually started forgetting the riots and their fight for justice had slowly weakened.
Saying that none of those involved in the 1992 Mumbai riots despite the accused being named in the Srikrishna Report were punished, Dr. Ahmed reminded the speakers that two ministers in Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet had to resign and were, later on, jailed. Though both of them are currently on bail, but one of them-Amit hah- has been externed from the state for more than a year. Besides, more than two dozen police officials, including several Gujarat-cadre IPS officials are cooling their heels in the jail.
“With such punishments, no one wil ever dare to repeat Gujarat anywhere else in the country”, he stressed.
He said that several accused involved in the mass massacre of Best Bakery case and gangrape of Bilqis Bano had also been imprisoned. But he said that there was hardly any instance in any other state where those involved in communal violence had been imprisoned or punished.
He gave credit to the local Muslims and secular/liberal Hindu human rights activists for bringing those guilty of communal riots to justice.
Dr. Ahmed said that it took 18 years for Sikh victims to get Rs. 7 lakh compensation But Gujarati Muslims secured Rs. 7 lakh compensation within six years. And hardly any prominent persons involved in the Sikh riots was punished.
Stating that Muslims had not fogotten the Gujarat riots and would never forget it, he reminded the audience how Maulan Ghulan Muhammed Vastanvi as Rector of Darul Ullom Deoband had to resign under public pressure after he allegedly made statements favouring Modi.
“If Gujarat is forgoten, they will repeate is everywhere in India and will make life misearable for us”, pointed out Dr. Ahmed, asserting gthat “fight for justice in the riots will continue and if we fail to get justice in our life time, we will tell our children to continue the fight till justice is achieved”.
Cycle-rickshaws for transporting goods were also given to four poor people on the occasion as a part of JIH’s new activitity to help people in self-employment. They were Sheikh Mahmood, Kaushik Vanzara, Tausief Diwan and Abdul Rahman, a dalit-convert-Muslim.
ENDS