By Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: Members of civil society have demanded Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to set up a high-level team to probe the arrests of Muslim youths from the state and the terror charges against them. If Kumar is really concerned about the arrests of innocents in terror cases, he should go beyond mere issuing statement, People’s Initiative, a civil group said while holding a daylong dharna (sit-in) on 24th June at Kargil Chowk near Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
“We demand CM of Bihar to set up a high-level team to probe all terror arrests from the state. The team should be asked to visit states where these youths are being held, dig into the truth of allegations against them and put the inquiry before the people of Bihar,” said the group in a statement.
On Qateel Siddiqui’s custodial murder, the civil group demanded the Chief Justice of India to set a high-level team to inquire into his death in the Pune jail.
The members of the civil society also demanded immediate check on the terror arrests being made violating the guidelines of the apex court and prosecute the guilty officers. Those people who are in jails without any charge sheet, must be released immediately.
Attacking the chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar, civil rights activists said his statement that Bihar government had no information about arrest is irresponsible and exposes his good governance claim. “Protection of life and dignity of Bihar residents is the constitutional responsibility of the state chief minister, and so he cannot get free by just issuing statement,” People’s Initiative said.
It is said about 17 youths mostly from Darbhanga and Madhubani have been arrested in terror cases since November 2011 and in almost all cases provisions of Constitution and SC guidelines have been violated.
It is wrong to attach religion to terrorism. Terrorists must be harshly punished but by implicating innocents in terror cases, terrorism cannot be defeated. It seems, there is conspiracy to malign Muslims in the name of terrorism, run by vested interests, it said.
The dharna was also attended by some families of the imprisoned Bihar youths and the family of Fasih Mahmood, Bihar engineer who is missing since 13th May 2012. He was picked from his home in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia allegedly on the request of Indian government but he has not yet been produced in any court. His family has filed habeas corpus in the supreme court. Qateel’s brother Shakil Siddqui was also at the dharna. Qateel was the first Bihar youth to be arrested in terror case. He was picked in November 2011 but was not yet charged. He was killed allegedly by two inmates in the high-security Pune’s Yerwada jail on 8th June 2012.
Talking to TCN on the sidelines of the dharna, eminent social activist and journalist Nayyar Fatmi said the campaign to implicate Muslims in terror cases is part of a larger conspiracy against the community which was raising voice more boldly in the recent time for his constitutional rights.
“Like Pakistan and America – which are run by their intelligence agencies – it seems India too is being run by its intelligence agency since last 2-3 years.” He strongly condemned the killing of Qateel and mysterious disappearance of Fasih.
Fatmi, however, was happy that people of civil society and politicians and political parties have started to speak on the issue, they are also coming out to condemn the illegal arresting of Muslim youths.
He urged chief minister Nitish Kumar to break his silence over the issue. Sitting in the lap of communalists, he cannot give sermons on secularism.