By TCN News,
New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind has demanded the Congress-led UPA Government at the centre to remove Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as he has consistently failed in maintaining law and order in the state. Jamiat leader and Rajya Sabha MP Maulana Mahmood Madani strongly condemned the firing in Gopalgarh area of Bharatpur district which left seven dead and scores wounded on Wednesday.
It seems brutal killings of Meo Muslims have taken place in Gopalgarh and perhaps that’s why the local police is not allowing community leaders, media and civil rights activist to visit the affected area.
On Thursday, a team of civil society that consisted Shabnam Hashmi, Navaid Hamid and Delhi correspondent of TwoCircles.net Mohd Ali managed to visit the affected village but as soon as the police came to know about their presence they detained the three and put them in local police station for about two hours and then they were pushed out of the Rajasthan border.
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Maulana Madani tried to visit Gopalgarh Friday morning (16th Sep) but he was also not allowed by the police.
“Police on Friday morning first did not give permission to Rajya Sabha MP and Jamiat Ulama-i- Hind leader, Maulana Mahmood Madani to proceed to riot-affected Gopalgarh Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Madani, who was on his way to Bharatpur from Delhi with his JUH colleagues Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi, Maulana Abdulwahid Khatri JUH Rajasthan Jamiat Secretary and others was finally allowed to proceed to just neighboring areas of the curfew-bound district only when state Chief Minister Ashok gehlot contacted him. He had to wait for four hours before given permission. He was insisting to visit the affected areas. The police officials had warned him to return, otherwise they would be forced to arrest him. He was finally allowed but prevented to enter into the curfew bound areas,” Azeemullah Qasmi, Media In-charge, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said.
After taking note of the situation and meeting local people, Jamiat leader accused the local authorities of “failing” to maintain peace. He alleged that it was police who killed all Meo Muslims, not rioters. He said that Collector and SP tuned into killers and beastly fired on Muslims despite the dispute on land was near getting resolved in a Panchayat.
Maulana Mahmood Madani has written a letter to Union Home Minister urging him to take strict action against those responsible for the situation and demanded immediate suspension of the collector and SP of Bharatpur.
He further demanded to remove state chief minister Ashok Gehlot due to consistent failure in marinating law and order in the state. “What could be worst example more than this that the state home Ministry is in sharp contrast with local SP in number of deaths and toll continues to rise. It obviously demonstrates the lack of coordination of all law enforcing agencies in the state and failure of system that calls central govt. to play its constitutional role and maintain law and order,” said Madani. He demanded judicial enquiry and action against those who opened fire on citizens and compensation to the affected.
The dispute leading to killings
There was a long dispute over a Muslim graveyard land. The decision had gone in favor of graveyard. Allotment of additional land to graveyard was under consideration. However, it was said that the earlier land given by gram panchayat was a pond, so the task of allotment of other land was given to concerned officers but these officers were deliberately delaying the allotment leading to buildup of tension. It is said that the admin did not take any action to control the situation. The two groups had tried to resolve the issue amicably as early as on Wednesday (14th Sep. 2011) in the local police station but at the same time some anti-social elements spread rumors leading to a tense situation. Yet the police didn’t step in. It is said that Bharatpur DM Krishna Kunal reached the site and immediately ordered to open fire. The police did not warn, no lathi charge or tear gas was used. The firing killed many Muslims and wounded many others on Wednesday (14th Sep).