[A report on the National Commission for Minorities' public hearing in Mumbai, followed by some brief depostions]
Indian Express, 6 September 2007
Anger, bitterness greet minorities panel
Chairperson says emotions justified, will tell CM about riots report implementation today
Kavitha Iyer & Jinal Shah
Mumbai, September 05: Anger, resentment and memories of the financial capital’s worst ever communal riots, not dulled in the least by the 14 years that have passed since 1992-1993, were the order of the day when the National Commission for Minorities held a public hearing seeking to hear the voices of various minority groups in the state.
Though people had traveled from Beed and Raigad to demand better education and opportunity for the community, when the depositions of the Muslim community began at 2.30 pm, the focus immediately shifted to the communal riots and the non-implementation of the Justice Srikrishna Commission Report.
The bitterness at the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government’s inaction on ensuring justice for the riot victims was obvious: When Kurla MLA Arif Naseem Khan, a petitioner in a Supreme Court case on the riots, came up to depose, he was shouted down by dozens of activists and riot victims raising slogans against the government. After a loud and noisy disruption that lasted nearly 20 minutes with national commission and state commission members trying to bring the gathering to order, the depositions continued.
Mumbai resident Salim Khan Qazi set the tone at the start: “Three and a half years have passed since this government came to power. With only a year and a half to go for elections, is this an effort to appease the Muslims again?”
Farid Batatawala, an activist associated with the Jogeshwari Muslim Front and the Bombay Aman Committee, continued: The government is saying it will take action, but there are just two cases progressing in the courts-the Hari Masjid police firing case and that of the incident at Suleiman Usman Bakery. The minorities commission should demand action from the government on taking action against the policemen indicted by the Srikrishna Commission Report.”
Chairperson of the minorities commission Mohammed Shafi Qureshi said the anger and emotion were justified. Speaking to Newsline after the depositions, Qureshi said the implementation of the Srikrishna Commission Report would be among the issues to be discussed with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil on Thursday.
“We must have the patience to listen to their grievances. We will certainly carry these sentiments to the right people,” he said. “When people are allowed to express their thoughts freely, they are emboldened to speak the truth. And that is what we wanted.”
Activists working with riot victims, religious leaders and those who lost family members, property and livelihood spoke emotionally about their loss of faith. “After eight years in power, this state government is now promising to implement the Srikrishna Commission report, which was submitted in 1998. A special court will be appointed to tackle these cases, the government is saying,” said Haseena Khan, a activist with Aawaz-e-Niswan. “But how many people have gone to police and the courts? Thousands died, but not even ten cases are currently in the courts.”
Earlier, other minorities spoke about their individual problems from getting scheduled caste certificates after conversion to Buddhism, to the lack of cemeteries for Dalits, atrocities faced by Christians while going to church, the Jain community’s demand for minority status and the demand for reservation quotas for Parsis.
‘If justice is not met, it is not only the concern of Muslims but a concern for all of us’
Indian Express, Mumbai Newsline
Thursday , September 06, 2007
Mumbai, September 05: Among the most strident voices at the hearing were those belonging to activists who have spent over a decade working for the victims of the communal riots of 1992-1993. Following are three articulate depositions from civil society:
Shakil Ahmed, Nirbhay Bano Aandolan
“But this meeting is for the people,” he shouted as soon as somebody suggested that seats in the packed auditorium be vacated for city legislators. Later, when MLA Arif Naseem Khan began his deposition, he led the sloganeering—victims of the communal riots of 1992-1993 had no faith left in the Congress-NCP government, said lawyer and activist Shakil Ahmed of the Nirbhay Bano Aandolan, which has been working with riot victims on matters related to government compensation, legal aid and rehabilitation.
Ahmed, also a petitioner in a Supreme Court case seeking action against the policemen indicted by Justice B N Srikrishna in his report, repeated his primary demands: “Action against the policemen who perpetrated injustice. There is tremendous lack of faith among people towards the police force—-setting that right means taking strong and immediate action against policemen who participated in violence against the minorities.”
Saumya Uma, Women’s Research and Action Group
“If justice is not met, it is not only the concern of Muslims but a concern for all of us,” said this activist. Uma spoke of the repeated threats continuing to appear in the media of another round of riots if the government decides to implement the Srikrishna Commission report. “If the state government, the state minorities commission and the national minorities commission stay silent despite these threats, it’s a shame,” she said. Also demanding that political leaders be prosecuted for their role in instigating the riots, she said the Muslim community has lost faith in justice. “Where is the political will to prosecute political leaders?” she asked.
Haseena Khan, Awaaz-E-Niswan
Fourteen years have passed since the Congress government set up a one-man commission to investigate the 1992-93 riots, this activist said. Haseena Khan of the Aawaz-E-Niswan spoke of the promise repeatedly made by the Congress in its election manifestos, to implement the Srikrishna Commission report. “After eight years in power, this state government is now promising to implement the Srikrishna Commission report, which was submitted in 1998. A special court will be appointed to tackle these cases, the government is saying,” she said. “But how many people have gone to police and the courts? Thousands died, but not even ten cases are currently in the courts.”
Khan said there are several victims whose complaints were never accepted by police stations only because they were against policemen, politicians or local party workers. “How is it possible that these cases will now be heard in court?” she asked. She also demanded that, like for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the government should announce a Rs 5 lakh-compensation package.
Among those who deposed at the public hearing of the National Commission for Minorities were these three victims who still remember their loss, even 14 years later. Their voices:
Taher Wagle, lost his son in the riots
At 56, this frail man has made up his mind to spend Thursday camping at Azad Maidan, where various organizations and victims of the riots are to stage a demonstration seeking implementation of the Srikrishna Commission report. After all, on January 10, 1993, Taher Hasan Wagle’s 16-year-old son Shahnawaz was allegedly picked up by police during a combing operation from his Dockyard Road residence in a predominantly Muslim building. “At least 40 or 50 men were picked up after curfew orders were announced from buildings in the area and taken to waiting police vans,” Wagle told the panel in his deposition. “My son was shot at from point-blank range, the rifle butt jabbed into his back and then he was taken away. The next morning, he died.” Wagle’s daughter, now married and living in Muscat, was watching from the window. His demand: Suspend policemen indicted by the Srikrishna Commission, suspend the pension of those among them who have retired from the force. “Then they will know what it feels like to have the light stolen form your home.”
Noorjehan Aagar, sustained bullet injuries in the riots
It was a day after the riots had begun in December 1992 and Aagar was reading namaaz at her Behramnagar residence in Bandra (East) when the police barged into the house. “They started picking up young men,” the 50-year-old remembers.
“I shouted to gather other women who were all reading namaaz. All wailing and crying, we tried to convince the policemen that these men are innocent and had no role to play in the riots,” she said. “My son Aarif and brother-in-law Mehboob Sheikh were pulled out of the house. They loaded the van with young boys and many middle-aged men randomly. I begged the policemen to leave my son and brother-in-law, but to no avail.” In the melee, a policeman pulled out his rifle and two bullets entered Aagar’s right arm.
“I don’t know what justice the judiciary will give us but we have completely lost faith in the law enforcers. Today, I am too scared to approach the police about any crimes in my area.”
Farooq Mapkar, sustained bullet injuries, embroiled in a long legal battle
“Because I dared to be a witness against the atrocities of the law enforcers during the riots, the police is now charging me with murder,” said Farooq Mapkar (41), who was present in Wadala’s Hari Masjid when six men offering prayers were killed in police firing. While the police claimed they were firing to stop a frenzied mob, the Srikrishna Commission report stated that the police action had been entirely “unprovoked”. Mapkar has now moved Bombay High Court, demanding that an FIR be registered against Nikhil Kapse, then a police sub-inspector who allegedly led the firing. Kapse is among those policemen indicted in no unclear terms by the Srikrishna Commission.
Mapkar himself sustained a bullet injury in the Hari Masjid firing. Oddly, the police had pursued a rioting case against over 50 people including Mapkar, in which most accused were discharged last year. Mapkar’s trial was, however, separated and the police are now ready with their charges against him.
“I have spent 13 years awaiting justice, running from court to court. The policemen indicted by the report should be immediately acted against,” he said.
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