By Abu Zafar, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: With an aim to aware people about the trend of implicating innocent Muslim youths in false terror cases, several human rights organizations on Thursday (12th April) started a 5000-km long journey from Delhi’s Batla House. The Yatra for Justice and Communal Harmony will end on 21st April at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.
The 10-day long Yatra will pass through various cities including Bhopal, Khandwa, Jalgaon, Malegaon, Pune, Belgaum, Bangalore, Chennai and Vijayawada. It is being jointly organized by Khudai Khidmatgar, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), Mission Bhartiyam, Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), and Sadbhav Mission.
The Yatra yesterday started from Khalilullah Masjid in Batla House locality of Jamia Nagar, stone’s throw from L-18 – the flat where two young men of Azamgarh, Atif Ameen and Mohammad Sajid, were killed in an alleged encounter by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on 19th September 2008, six days after the Delhi serial blasts.
Addressing the inaugural program human rights lawyer from Gujarat Advocate Bilal Kaghzi said that the yatra is to raise voice to reform the system.
“We are not here with any intention of revenge but with an aim to raise voices to reform the system,” he said. Referring the youths who have been implicated falsely in terror cases he said: “There is not a question of one Binayak Sen or a Kazmi but there are thousands of Binayak Sens and Kazmis here.”
“We are living under threat; even the lawyers are not safe. I have been threatened that if I will be involved in any terror cases as defence lawyer then I will be booked in any fake or fabricated case,” alleged Kaghzi, who was beaten up and detained without any reason by the Gujarat Police last month.
Dr. Malika B. Mistri, Professor of Economics in Poona College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune, talked about rehabilitation of victims. “Being an economist I can understand the economic difficulties of those who have been implicated in false cases and after years acquitted by the court, she said.
“It is a noble mission to raise voices against such atrocities and I congratulate the participants of the yatra,” she further added. “I support this Yatra as it is a noble mission for the human beings,” Inamur Rahman, who represented Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, backed Mistry.
“We need a continuous struggle for justice and I am hopeful for this yatra that it will play important role for justice,” says Vipin Kumar Tiripathi, Professor of Physics at IIT Delhi.
Maulana Mohammad Yaqoob, Imam of Khalilullah Masjid, also thinks that there is a need of a mass agitation to make people aware of the issue. He is also of the view to hold interactions with members of the majority community to remove confusion and doubts about Muslim youths. “Our Hindu youths are being misguided against Muslims. It is time to educate them about our values and service to humanity. We should interact with Hindu youths more and more,” he said
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Batla House to Mecca Masjid, a yatra to raise awareness about illegal terror arrests