Nine years of Makkah Masjid bomb blast and subsequent police firing Justice still denied

Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee reminds the people that on 18th May 2007, two terror attacks took place on Muslims; one was the bomb blast by Hindutva terrorists and another police firing on the innocent people at Makkah Masjid. In this, many people died and hundreds were injured. Media played an ugly role in defaming and blaming the Muslims for the blast and police firing. Nine years have been completed for these terror attacks. It is exposed and proved that Hindutva terrorists and anti-Muslim police are behind this, but no action has been taken till date.

Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee express its grave concern over the inaction of the government of Telangana as well as Indian government and its agencies for not taking any interest to bring the criminals under justice, even though the criminals have openly admitted their involvement in this terror attack. It is because the victims are Muslims and the criminals are Hindutva terrorists; this is the reason that they are being shielded and protected. It has been proved that all the blasts that took place across the country have been carried out by the Hindutva terrorists. After the Hindutva government coming to power, the Hindutva terrorists have anyhow got the free hands; the investigative agencies are now defending the blast criminals and giving them clean chit saying there are no proper evidences to prove that they are behind the blasts. The example is the criminals of Malegaon bomb blast who have been given clean chit by the NIA under the pressure of Hindutva government.

As far as Makkah Masjid bomb blast, which is a typical type of terror attack, so many factors are involved. It should always be kept in mind that immediately after the blasts, police opened the fire on the victims of the blast itself. Hindutva minded police officers tried their level best to defame Muslim community through media; detained, harassed and tortured hundreds of Muslim youth and then pressurized them to take the responsibility of bomb blast at Makkah Masjid. In the Makkah Masjid bomb blast the role of police is very much suspicious because at the time of blast Hyderabad police was dominated by Hindutva mindset officers and another factor is, it was the time when the Sohrabuddin encounter case was going on very seriously in which the role of Hyderabad police officers is suspected. The bomb blast and the subsequent police firing must be a reason to divert the people’s attention from the Sohrabuddin fake encounter by the Gujarat and Hyderabad police. Instead of taking any action against the guilty police officers, they have been given awards, rewards and promotions on the key posts by the Telangana government.

By taking the advantage of this blast, police targeted the Muslim youth by terrorizing and harassing them. Hundreds of youth were detained illegally, tortured and later 30 Muslim youth were shown arrested. The State Minorities Commission appointed advocate Ravichander as Advocate Commissioner to look into the matter of detention and torture. In his report, Adv. Ravichander mentioned that the police brutally tortured the Muslim youth and categorically stated in his report S “If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.” He recommended that the government should compensate and rehabilitate those youth.

The non-seriousness of government can be imagined with one single issue i.e. Adv. Ravichander’s report on torture as well as Bhaskar Rao commission report on police firing that have not been presented in the Assembly to date. It is a matter of deep concern that even the Muslim leadership is maintaining silence and never reminded nor demanded the government to present these reports in the Assembly for discussion and implementation of its recommendations. By providing meager amount of money in the name of compensation, the government thinks that it has fulfilled its responsibility. But, CLMC demands that compensation is not justice. Government has not taken any initiative to provide justice even after the completion of nine years of Makkah Masjid bomb blast and subsequent police firing. The demand of justice is that, first of all the government should withdraw all the cases registered on Muslim youth in connection of bomb blast in the year 2007; these cases are still open. The Hindutva terrorists and tainted police officers should be brought to justice.

The matter of fact is that Makkah Masjid blast and police firing is a forgotten case. The government, investigating agencies and the Muslim representatives never speaks about it and escaping from fulfilling their responsibility to provide justice to the victims of Makkah Masjid bomb blast, police firing and the victims of police torture. Though this case is forgotten by the government and ruling classes, the common people of Hyderabad can never forget it; these wounds inflicted on Muslim community are very deep. Only justice can heal the injuries caused.

Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee demands the government to:

1. Punish the Hindutva terrorists involved in the Makkah Masjid bomb blast.
2. Punish the tainted police officers involved in the subsequent police firing and torture of Muslim youth.
3. Close all the cases registered on Muslim youth in connection of blast in the year 2007.
4. Provide justice to the victims of bomb blast, police firing and police torture.
5. Present Adv. Ravichander report on torture and Bhaskar Rao Commission report on police firing in the Telangana State Assembly and implement the recommendations mentioned in these reports.

Lateef Mohammed Khan
Gen. Secretary