Police Harassment After Mumbai Blasts: An appeal from the All India Secular Forum

All India Secular Forum
C/o. Centre for Study of Society and Secularism 9B, Himalaya Apts., 1st Floor, 6th Road, Santacruz (E), Mumbai:- 400 055.
E-mail: csss@mtnl.net.in, ram.puniyani@gmail.com

AN APPEAL FROM ALL INDIA SECULAR FORUM

The Mumbai blasts shook the nation and killed over 200 innocent people. This act is highly condemnable and the perpetrators of this ghastly crime need to be punished with all severity.

In the wake of horrific bomb blasts the police is blindly operating on the formula that all Muslims are suspects and has been arresting and harassing innumerable innocent Muslims. Right the day next police arrested nearly three hundred youth and released most of them after the 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. While police has totally failed to prevent this incident, while 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.

Terrorism is an insane and tragic phenomenon of our times having its roots in multiple factors, starting from the US/Israel policies in the West Asia, to the unresolved issue of Kashmir, the plight of Kashmiri people, to the communal violence coming up in stronger and stronger form all around and being presented as the ‘glory of religion’. As far as the apprehending the suspects is concerned a reckless communal attitude is displayed due to which all and sundry Muslim youth are nabbed and made to rot in jails, and many others are being questioned and intimidated. 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.

All this has created an extreme sense of fear and intimidation in large parts of the Muslim minority. Irrespective of the social standing of the person, the Muslims in general are being pushed to the brink. Many a delegations have met the state Government and pleaded for exercise of reason in apprehending the ‘suspects’ of blasts. Even the delegation have met the Prime Minister, who himself conceded that this attitude of police will worsen the situation rather than solving it. Surely those understanding human psychology, social psychology can easily see that from innocents rotting in jail, some will surely fall pray to the bait of terror merchants. We can perceive that an average person when seen as suspect will have a deep disgust and few of them can tread the unwanted and undesired path. Instead of solving the problem this will aggravate the same, putting to risk the life of average citizen of the state/country. This reckless attitude of police is fraught with dangers. Sadly even the Prime Minister seems to be watching helplessly.

On the other hand the Maharashtra Government, whose Anti Terrorist squad came to conclude that Bajarag Dal activists are involve 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 head quarters 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 other, 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 ‘intelligence’. 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.

We urge the President to intervene and advise the central/state governments to wake up and act with reason and justice in investigating/handling these cases.
We Urge the Chairperson of the UPA to ensure that such a gross violation of the human rights is stopped right away and minorities are assured that they will not be treated in such a shabby manner as they are being at present.
We urge upon the Prime Minister to be guided by his wisdom and to take up the present problem, to instruct the Govt to see that legal, social and human norms are respected while dealing with the investigation of episodes of terror. As the leader of the country it is his paramount duty to see that all citizens are able to live without fear and intimidation. We urge upon the upon the home minister to advise the state Governments, and Maharashtra Government in particular, that the present senseless methods resorted to in dealing with the minorities will be counterproductive and that they should employ professional and intelligent methods in dealing with the situation. While guilty should not be spared in any case the innocents should be given all the feeling of security.
We urge upon the Government of Maharashtra in particular and other states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in general, to wake up to their responsibility of treating all the citizens on par irrespective of their religion, that’s what our constitution advises us. While taking the strictest action against those who are involved in the illegal activities, the acts of terror: Mumbai blasts, Nanded bomb makers and their affiliates etc., while trying to honestly investigate the suspects of Mumbai blasts, they should forthwith stop the high handed methods being resorted to against the minority community.
We appeal to fellow citizens to reject the propaganda being carried on by vested organizations, to come forward with warmth and amity towards the fellow citizens, irrespective of their religion, and to strengthen the integration of the nation. The feeling of ‘Hate other’ perpetuated by some, may sound appealing in the short run, but they will be divisive to the country in the long run.
We are sure that with a balanced approach to the issue we can overcome this issue of terrorism as we could overcome the terrorism resorted to by Khalistanis not too long ago.


Yours sincerely
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer
(Patron)
L.S. Hardenia
(Convenor)
Ram Puniyani
(Secretary)