Brief Notes

Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam

All over the country Muslim youth have been languishing in jails for years without rhyme or reason. Most of them have been falsely implicated in terror cases.

Following severe torture and all kinds of physical abuse, many have even “confessed” to their imagined crimes to escape further torture. Convictions in all such cases are just next to nil.

Courts routinely acquit them honourably and pass strictures on the police, their mala fide intent and their lawlessness. However, never a policeman is proceeded against for falsely implicating innocent Muslims.

The All India Milli Council, along with all other Muslim religio-political and social organisations, has frequently complained to every major leader in the ruling coalition as well as government leaders, from Prime Minister downward, without any gain.

At long last the Union Minister for Home Affairs, Sushil Shinde, has written to chief ministers saying that innocent Muslim youth were being framed up in terror cases.

Mr Shinde has asked the CMs to make sure that innocent youth are not framed up. Although it is late, but it is better than never. It may not be of consequence, come as it does from a minister at the end of the government’s tenure.

Usually, steps taken at this stage are ignored. Bureaucracy, lower-level administration and police are not affected at all. At the end of the day victims of police excesses are unlikely to get any relief.

All said and done, the Home Minister’s missive does not mean much except that with his letter atrocities on innocent Muslims have come on record, the problem recognised and taken due note of. Such recognition will make the work of rights activists working on the issue just a little bit easier.