By TCN News,
Hyderabad: On this day four years ago, the historic Makkah Masjid witnessed terror blasts when Friday Prayer was on. Nine people were killed. When they came out of the mosque to protest the police opened fire and killed seven more. In next few days and weeks a number of Muslims were picked, tortured and pushed behind bars. Four years on, justice still eludes the victims of all three incidents.
When thousands of people were offering Friday Prayer on 18th May 2007 the grand mosque was rocked with devastating bomb blasts ripping through the bodies of several namazis.
Lateef Mohd Khan (center) addressing the press in Hyderabad on 17th May 2011. Khaki terror victim Dr Ibrahim Ali Junaid (in black shirt) and others can also be seen
The Makkah Masjid bomb blast has completed four years. But the victims are still denied Justice. The main and most of the culprits are still free as Investigation has not been serious. However, over the last few months there has been a significant development in the probe of the blasts. RSS pracharak Swami Aseemanand admitted his role in the blast and some other foot soldiers of the Hindutva outfit have also been rounded up. But neither the victims of the blast, nor victims of the police firing, nor victims of the biased probe have been compensated.
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Makkah Masjid terror blast, Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee organized a press conference to reiterate the demand of justice in the case.
CLMC demanded the state government to present the Bhaskar Rao Commission report and Advocate Ravichander report in the Assembly. Long presented to the government, these two reports – first on the police firing and second on the torture and arrest of innocent Muslims in the context of the Makkah Masjid blast probe – are gathering dust in the government office.
[Photo: mahamediaonline.com]
The government had constituted the Bhaskar Rao commission on the police firing after the Makkah Masjid bomb blast and the commission after three years submitted its report to the government. Now the government’s work is to table it in the Assembly and present before people.
“But the government’s intention is not good because of which the government is not making it public. However, the government wants to protect the police officers involved in the firing. It should be remembered that the government has blessed the police personnel involved in the firing on innocent people with rewards and awards,” said CLMC General Secretary Lateef Mohd. Khan.
After the blast, Muslim youth were targeted on the name of investigation. On this the State Minority Commission had appointed advocate Ravichander as advocate commissioner to investigate into the illegal detention, torture and arrests of the Muslim youth. Even this report has already been submitted to the government. However, the government is sitting on both these reports.
“Civil Liberties knows that there are such facts in the Advocate Ravichander report that the Congress government will not have any right to rule. It will not have any moral right to be in the ruling position. In this report, facts are mentioned such as to how the Muslim youth were given electric shock, were beaten mercilessly, confined them under illegal detention and labeled with fake cases,” said Khan.
TwoCircles.net in April 2009 made public the Advocate Ravichander report. Ravi Chander report reveals torture and illegal detention by AP police.
CLMC leader also condemned the police for keeping Muslims from offering homage to the victims of the Makkah Masjid blast.
“We also strongly condemn the attitude of police personnel who are resisting the Muslim community from offering homage to the victims and martyrs of Makkah Masjid bomb blast. Don’t we have the right even to pay homage to our brothers who have sacrificed their lives in resisting the Hindutva terrorism and became the victim of police firing? We question the double standard of the government who makes special arrangements for the programmes at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat and on the other side resist the people in paying homage to the martyrs by placing the barbed wire and blocking the roads. Here we want to remind the Congress government that Muslims are also Human beings,” Lateef Mohd. Khan said.
He also demanded the government to check Hindutva terrorism and book these terrorists under rule of law.
The CLMC press conference was also address by Prof Rehana Sultana, President, CLMC, Adv. D Suresh Kumar, a Civil Liberties lawyer, Dr. Rafat Seema, Gen. Secretary, Nisa Research and Resource Centre for Women, Adv Yahiya Khan, Kaneez Fathima, M. Mandakini, S. Q. Masood, Dr. Ibrahim Ali Junaid and Mohd Ismail Khan — all from CLMC.