Muslims on Muzaffarnagar. P.M. disappointed the delegation

Muslims on Muzaffarnagar. P.M. disappointed the delegation

A fortnightly "The Milli Gazette" Edited by eminent social activist and President of MMMI, published following report on the meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh, in New Delhi yesterday after his return from a visit to some places in riot-it area.

Messenger riots: Muslim delegation meets Prime Minister

A delegation consisting leaders of all leading Indian Muslim organisations met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this evening at his residence. The delegation expressed to him its deep concern over the continuing communal violence across the country and deteriorating communal tensions as a result of a certain party’ decision to polarise the society using emotive issues and false propaganda and rumours. The delegation expressed it pain at the ongoing violence in and around Muzaffarnagar in which around one lakh Muslims have been forced to flee their homes and villages taking shelter in over two dozen camps as well as taking refuge in the houses of their relatives in other villages. The delegation demanded proper relief to all the uprooted people including the ones who have taken shelter in their relatives homes, proper documentation and videography of each case as well registering FIRs in all cases so that the culprits may be punished and the victims get justice and fair compensation.

The delegation also raised the issue of the Communal Violence (Prevention) Bill which remains in cold storage since 2005. The delegation urged the Prime Minister to see to it that this Bill is passed in the next session or issued as an ordinance.

The Prime Minister listened to the delegation attentively and assured the Muslim leaders that it will do whatever is possible. He said he will try to arrive at a consensus in the forthcoming National Integration Council meeting on 23 September.

The delegation consisted of  Maulana Syed Jalauddin Umari President, Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Maulana Nusrat Ali General Secretary, Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Janab Mohammad Ahmad Secretary, Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madni General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-e Hind, Maulana Niyaz Farooqui Member, Working Committee, Jamiat Ulama-e Hind, Janab Shakeel Ahmad Sayed, member, Working Committee, Jamiat Ulama-e Hind, Janab Kamal Faruqi, member, Working Committee, All India Muslim Personal law Board, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan President, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, . Janab Navaid Hamid General Secretary, Movement for the Empowerment of Indian Muslims, Janab Abdul Khaliq, Member Working Committee, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, Maulana Ataur Rahman Qasmi, Chairman, Shah Waliullah Institute, Dr Zafar Mahmood President, Zakat Foundation of India, Dr Taslim Rahmani President, Muslim Political Council,  Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji, member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mahdi Salafi, General Secretary, Markzai Jamiat Ahl-e Hadees.

The delegation presented to the Prime Minister the following memorandum as well as observations of the Muslim delegations which visited Muzaffarnagar and a brief position paper on the Communal Violence (Prevention) Bill:

(2)

Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, who was with the delegation issued following statement: 

Muzaffarnagar carnage: Top national level Muslims express displeasure with PM

Fifteen Muslims representing Muslim NGOs met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this evening and loudly expressed their anger with the central government in not strongly tackling the errant UP Government in respect of the Muzaffarnagar situation.  They said in no uncertain terms that both the UP Government and the central government have miserably failed in preempting and dealing with the anti-Muslim violence in Muzaffarnagar that's a result of saffron designs at pre-election polarization. In the meeting initiated by Milli Gazette editor Zafrul Islam Khan, Jamiatul Ulema Hind's Mahmood Madani said that in the electoral fight between NDA and UPA, Muslims are the loaf. 

Zakat Foundation of India's president Syed Zafar Mahmood emphasized that the current UP situation is squarely covered by Articles 355, 356 and 365 of the Constitution and the central government must take charge and should also provide military protection to the victim families in re-occupying their houses and places of worship. He added that despite Sachar Committee's and Mishra Commission's recommendations to ensure adequate Muslim presence in the Police, the central home ministry limited in 2011 the recruitment of 1400 additional IPS officers only to the captains & majors in the armed forces where Muslims are less than one percent. Thus, the Muslim percentage in the police bureaucracy will go further down. The Central government also does not even talk about the vital Sachar recommendation regarding removing the anomaly of reserving Muslim dominated constituencies for SCs even though there is negligible SC presence there. Niaz Farooqi piloted the passing of Communal Violence Bill. 

Zafrul Islam Khan steered the delegation's memorandum that asked for the following:

a.      Proper relief of ration and other necessary needs of life to those living in Muzaffarnagar camps as well as with relatives.

b.      Urgent documentation and preparation of lists with all details of names, losses and people responsible for the carnage as per the victims.

c.      Filing of FIRs at the earliest so that the legal process could start to punish the guilty.

d.      Compensation of all losses suffered by the victims in terms of life, loss of cattle, houses looted and burnt and crops destroyed/looted etc.

e.      Construction/repair of burnt/demolished/damaged houses, mosques, madrasahs etc.

f.       Construction of houses at other locations for those who do not wish to return to their villages (we found that no one is willing at least now to return to his/her village).

The Prime Minister expressed his deep sympathy with the Muslims, talked of the upcoming national integration council meeting and promised to do the central govt's best effort to resolve the Muzaffarnagar situation and not letting the communal fire flare up anywhere else. The Amir of Jamaat-e Islami Hind Jalaluddin Umri and Dr Tasleem Rahmani of Welfare Party supported the presentations made at the meeting. Other delegates included Kamal Faruqi, Abdul Wahab Khilji, Ataur Rahman Qasmi, Navaid Hamid, Abdul Khaliq, Mohammad Ahmad. 

(3) All India Muslim Personal Law Board concerned on rise of communal violence. Parts of a report from Lucknow:

Maulana Nizamuddin, Gen. Secretary of AIMPLB told HT that the executive committee of the board will take up the Muzaffarnagar communal violence issue at its meeting in Delhi on September 22.He said the “violence in Muzaffarnagar has revived the memory of 1947”.

Maulana Nizamuddin said the violence had caused widespread resentment among the community. He criticized both the central and state governments for failure to control the communal frenzy  which led to massive displacement and destruction.

He said the Jamiat Ulema Hind led by Maulana Mahmood Madni, a member of AIPMLB executive committee, had already taken up the matter with the UPA government. Maulana Madani has visited riot-hit areas and demanded the center to dismiss Yadava Govt of U.P. and impose Presidents rule. Maulana Madani  had said in Delhi that situation is grave.He noted that the Government has not provided any relief to the displaced persons. All help is coming from the community.Madni, who has demanded dismissal of Samajwadi Party government, said that some people are still missing. 

AIMPLB member Qasim Rasool Ilyas, who visited affected areas along with JIH leaders Mohammad Ahmad and Shafi Madni.

Ilyas also said that apart from deaths, there was massive damage to properties.

The delegation visited various madarsas and other centres where the victims had taken shelter.

(4) A report from Kandhla where more than 5 thousand people are still staying in Eidgah Madarsa Sulemania camp like refugees in their own country: : 

A prominent figure engaged in providing help to displaced persons in the Kandhla camp, Maulana Noorul Hasan Rashid Kandhlavi apprised the C.M. during his visit to Kandhla, the sequences of incidence and bring in his knowledge involvement of certain police officials in the riots. The C.M. listened to him for over 25 minutes in one-to-one meeting and assured action. 

The Maulana told this blogger on phone that the incident was well planned and armed people threatened the minority members of the villages to flee out of the villages. After people fled away their properties were torched. This happened in the villages on the both side of the road from Shamli to Budhana and in the area of Phugana Police Station. He complained complexity of Phugana SHO and the then D.M.

Now community leaders are now persuading people to return their homes. He said the residents of the villages, from where no untoward incidence.is reported should go back first. Kandhla Police and Military personal are providing escort to the people who are willing to return their homes.

He lauded the role SHO of Kandhla Mr. Joshi, who worked hard to maintain law and order in his area, it is why no untoward incident was reported from his area.