CM blames the “communal elements” in police and demand ‘sensitive’ handling.
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has indirectly blamed the “communal elements” within the police force for the Dhule riots, but pleaded to wait till the judicial inquiry is complete.
When asked about video clips that clearly show police personnel involved in rampage, he told English daily, “I have seen the clips…Unfortunately, there are some communal elements lurking around in the police too. We have to handle this issue sensitively.” He also accepted that as the two parties approached him to register complains the police had refused, that led to the riot.
Signs of loot and arson are visible at every corner of Machi Bazar and Madhavpura area
Meanwhile ANHAD team, comprising of Shabnam Hashmi and Arun Kumar Tiwari again visited Dhule on January 27 to “take stock of the developments and to see if there was any progress vis-a vis the compensation and rehabilitation.”
On their return, they have alleged that despite taking up the issue with the collector on our earlier visit, no arrangement has been made to run a relief camp. The statement by ANHAD added, “The 35 odd families, whose houses were totally destroyed by mob attack and one of the houses set on fire even by the police , continue to live without any support.”
“Administration has not bothered to provide any immediate shelter,” added Shabnam Hashmi.
A press statement by ANHAD added, “Children’s education has discontinued as they have no school bags, books, notebooks, in one family a young student who is doing BCA has been left in the lurch as the family has no money left, even the fee kept in the almirah was burnt.”
Hashmi has also expressed her dismay over the announcement that no compensation will be given to family of the dead or injured till the inquiry is over.
Hashmi pointed out, “On one hand publicly CM under tremendous pressure from the civil society announced the compensation but the victims and their families will not get any of this for years to come.”
The press statement further said, “Despite the footage released to media which clearly shows the deep contempt of the police against the Muslims and the fact that all six dead in police firing are Muslims and all 40 odd persons injured in police firing are Muslims, the police has filed its own version of the incident where it has made up stories of the incident contrary to the reality.”
“The police, in effort to hide its role of killing, attacking and targeting one community, is refusing to file any FIRs on behalf of the victims. After a lot of pressure it has taken only complaints and written replies to the victims saying that ‘ in this case enquiry is going on’,” the statement added.
“With CM refusing to transfer the Collector, SP, DYSP we do not see any hope of a fare enquiry,” Hashmi alleged.
Shamsunnisa who was brutally beaten up by the police when she tried to stop them from
vandalising her shop during curfew on the 7th of January
She alleged, “We see a sinister design and connivance of police and the state to further marginalize the economically and socially backward minority community.”
“It is very clear from the situation that Muslim victims and their families have been abandoned by the state to fend for themselves and the police have been given a free hand to turn the victims into the accused as we have seen earlier in Gujarat and many other states,” she added.
20 year old Khalid Ansari
Related:
Civil society fact finding team questions police ‘bias’ action in Dhule
Dhule Riots: A petty squabble to ‘Kargilli firing’
Compensation for Dhule riot victims announced by CM
[Photo courtesy: DSU JNU]