Lifting ban on SIMI, Solution to stop targeting Muslim Youths: Says National Convention
New Delhi: Making a strong protest against "targeting" of Muslim youth, a convention here on Saturday demanded repeal of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and lifting of ban on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The convention also demanded compensation for all persons acquitted of terrorism charges, prosecution of official responsible for their prosecution and a comprehensive review of all pending terrorism cases by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
The convention entitled "national convention on protection of Muslim youth" was organised by All India Milli Council and supported by all major Muslim organisations including All India Muslim Majlis Mashawarat, Jamaate Islami, Welfare Party, Coordination Committee for Indian Muslims, and Markazi Jamiat Ulema.
Inaugurating the convention, Justice Rajinder Singh Sachchar, former chief justice of Delhi High Court, termed UAPA and sedition laws undemocratic and demanded their repeal.
"No democratic country should have UAPA and sedition laws which hit at the basic freedoms of life, liberty, expression and association. Repeated ban on SIMI is a direct assault on freedom of association", he said.
Recalling Maulana Azad, Justice Sachchar said that he prided in being a Muslim and an Indian. "Muslims are equal citizens of this great country and their patriotism cannot be questioned. They are entitled to have pride in being Muslims and Indians and cannot be subjected to any suspicion or explanation", he said.
Opposing the continued ban on SIMI, Ejaz Ahmad Aslam, Secretary, Jamaate Islami Hind said that it was completely unjustified and illegal. He said, "Appeals against the ban on SIMI are pending in the Supreme Court for more than 10 years now. In the circumstances, continued ban on SIMI was atrocious as the government has not shown any interest in getting the appeals heard by the Supreme Court".
Ravi Nair, Executive Director, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre, demanded that intelligence agencies, especially Intelligence Bureau, must be organised by a statute clearly stating their mandate accountability for ensuring rule of law.
He said, "Intelligence Bureau should be governed by a statute ensuring parliamentary control and their accounts should be subjected to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (India)"
Terming UAPA a blot bigger than TADA and POTA on the country's reputation, Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam demanded its repeal. He said that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2011, currently pending in the parliament, should be withdrawn "as the first step".
Demanding that SIMI be allowed to function within constitutional and democratic framework of the country, the resolution adopted at the convention said," The continuous ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) since 2001 is unjustified, illegal and unconstitutional. Similarly, the declaration of SIMI as “terrorist organization” is also without basis. The ban on SIMI must be lifted immediately and its name should be removed from the schedule of “terrorist organisations” of the UAPA."
Many victims narrated their stories in the conventions. They said that police in such cases files extraordinarily bulky chargesheets and cites hundreds of witnesses and make every effort to delay trial in these cases. They also alleged that police implicates such persons in multiple case so that such persons are not able come out of jail for years together.
All India Milli Council released an around 500-page report entitled “Scapegoats” documenting stories of people who were acquitted by courts. Milli Council also realeased a list of 300 cases where Muslim youth have been implicated.
See Full Text at: http://minorityrightswatch.blogspot.in/2012/04/stop-harassment-of-innocent-muslim_01.html
