If people with political affiliations, like Abu Asim Azmi, would have said this, you may have ignored it. But when writers, scholars and other respected people of the society too start saying the same, this amounts to a cause for concern.
Prominent figures from Mumbai social circule, including LS Hardenia, Ram Puniyani and writer Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer along with several other noted champions of secular cause have voiced their concern and besieged the President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam for intervention, in the wake of the Mumbai blasts that shook the nation and killed over 200 innocent people and the Malegaon blast that followed.
The petition given by All India Secular Forum states that the Mumbai police is operation on the formula that all Muslims are suspects and has been arresting and harassing innumerable innocent Muslims. They have cited the case of the arrest of about 300 Muslim youths, who were released only upon public protest. Muslims at different social levels, including executives and others, are being investigated as such and more so about their travel abroad and other routine involvements related to work and leisure, the forum has claimed. Besides condemning the blasts and those behind it, the forum says that while the police has totally failed to prevent the incident, it has not made any headway in the investigation. It is arresting, interrogating and intimidating people without much evidence, barring the fact that they bear a Muslim identity.
The petition further said: “The social common sense is being vitiated through the word of mouth propaganda and by a section of communalized media to demonize a section of population. The community divides along religious lines are widening and posing a threat to national integration. Those claiming to be the patriots in turn are creating a situation where the intercommunity relations are worsening, threatening the harmony and amity which are the prerequisites of any nation.”
“On the other hand the Maharashtra Government, whose Anti Terrorist squad came to conclude that Bajrang Dal activists are involved in bomb making as in Nanded, has been sleeping over the issue. In the same state a Citizens Fact Finding Committee headed by a retired high court judge has pointed out serious flaws in the police version of encounter of ‘terrorists’ near the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. The Maharashtra Government has chosen to push the Nanded and Nagpur episodes under the carpet. Presently in many states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and others, police administrations are over enthusiastic in intimidating the innocent Muslims. This betrays the poor quality of professional conduct. Some of these arrests are meant to hide the failure of their own ‘intellgence’. All in all, we are witnessing a situation where the innocents are being harassed and the civic life of large sections is coming under the stifling scanner of the state officials.”
The petition also suggests series of measures to achieve concrete results. It says: “Peace was never so urgent as today. Such killings to avenge killings by the other group will continue to take lives of thousands of innocent people. We must show wisdom to put an end to such senseless killings sooner than later. Series of measures are needed to bring an end to such dastardly killings.”
Prominent figures from Mumbai social circule, including LS Hardenia, Ram Puniyani and writer Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer along with several other noted champions of secular cause have voiced their concern and besieged the President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam for intervention, in the wake of the Mumbai blasts that shook the nation and killed over 200 innocent people and the Malegaon blast that followed.
The petition given by All India Secular Forum states that the Mumbai police is operation on the formula that all Muslims are suspects and has been arresting and harassing innumerable innocent Muslims. They have cited the case of the arrest of about 300 Muslim youths, who were released only upon public protest. Muslims at different social levels, including executives and others, are being investigated as such and more so about their travel abroad and other routine involvements related to work and leisure, the forum has claimed. Besides condemning the blasts and those behind it, the forum says that while the police has totally failed to prevent the incident, it has not made any headway in the investigation. It is arresting, interrogating and intimidating people without much evidence, barring the fact that they bear a Muslim identity.
The petition further said: “The social common sense is being vitiated through the word of mouth propaganda and by a section of communalized media to demonize a section of population. The community divides along religious lines are widening and posing a threat to national integration. Those claiming to be the patriots in turn are creating a situation where the intercommunity relations are worsening, threatening the harmony and amity which are the prerequisites of any nation.”
“On the other hand the Maharashtra Government, whose Anti Terrorist squad came to conclude that Bajrang Dal activists are involved in bomb making as in Nanded, has been sleeping over the issue. In the same state a Citizens Fact Finding Committee headed by a retired high court judge has pointed out serious flaws in the police version of encounter of ‘terrorists’ near the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. The Maharashtra Government has chosen to push the Nanded and Nagpur episodes under the carpet. Presently in many states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and others, police administrations are over enthusiastic in intimidating the innocent Muslims. This betrays the poor quality of professional conduct. Some of these arrests are meant to hide the failure of their own ‘intellgence’. All in all, we are witnessing a situation where the innocents are being harassed and the civic life of large sections is coming under the stifling scanner of the state officials.”
The petition also suggests series of measures to achieve concrete results. It says: “Peace was never so urgent as today. Such killings to avenge killings by the other group will continue to take lives of thousands of innocent people. We must show wisdom to put an end to such senseless killings sooner than later. Series of measures are needed to bring an end to such dastardly killings.”
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