Victims of the September 14, 2011, violence at Gopalgarh
in Rajasthan, where 10 persons were killed and 30 injured in the firing
and attack on a mosque, are gradually losing hope for justice with the
Central Bureau of Investigation giving a clean chit to the top district
officials and the State government failing to restore faith among Meo
Muslims targeted by communal forces.
A delegation
comprising representatives of Muslim groups visited Gopalgarh earlier
this week, nine months after the horrific violence, and found an
atmosphere of fear and distrust in the town amid allegations that the
CBI officers were threatening the Meo community leaders willing to
depose as witnesses against the policemen and Gujjars who allegedly
attacked the Jama Masjid.
The delegation visited the
town in Bharatpur district under the banner of Rajasthan Muslim Forum on
the repeated requests of the next of kin of the deceased. The victims
complained of “prejudiced approach” of the CBI’s investigating officers
and the ruling Congress’ “complete indifference” to their plight. The
much-touted judicial inquiry into the violence is yet to begin.
The
CBI has arrested a local Muslim leader, Abdul Ghani, and his three sons
on the basis of five first information reports and filed the
charge-sheet in the court highlighting the police claim that if the
policemen had not resorted to firing, there would have been large-scale
violence. The 14 FIRs lodged by Muslims, identifying the policemen as
accused, have been taken up for probe only recently.
Collector, SP reinstated
The
State government has since reinstated the then Collector, Krishna
Kunal, and Superintendent of Police, Hinglaj Dan, who were suspended for
dereliction of duty, after they obtained stay orders in their favour
from the Central Administrative Tribunal. Muslim groups have accused
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of deliberately leaving technical loopholes
giving benefit to the suspended officers.
The
delegation comprised Irada Society president Mohammed Hasan,
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind State president Khurshid Hussain and national
secretary M. Salim Engineer and Forum members Nazimuddin and M. Alam
Khan.
In a statement issued here, the Forum alleged
that the CBI was trying to protect the accused and implicate Meo Muslims
in the Gopalgarh case. By not clubbing the 14 FIRs with the initial
five FIRs, the CBI has found an escape route for the Collector and the
SP and ignored the evidence of their complicity in the crime, it said.
“How
is it possible that a premier investigating agency like the CBI could
not notice the simple fact that for 24 hours after the police firing on
the mosque, the police were in-charge of the site during the curfew when
the bodies were dragged [out] and thrown into wells and cut into pieces
and burnt,” stated the Forum.
Mr. Gehlot had himself
admitted two days after the firing that the policemen had fired 219
rounds, while claiming that it was done to contain a direct clash
between Meos and Gujjars. It was later revealed after the curfew was
relaxed that all the bullets were aimed at the mosque, which suffered
extensive damage.
Mr. Salim Engineer pointed out that
the Meos whose houses and shops were looted and burnt had refused to
accept the paltry amount of Rs.3,000 to Rs.4,000 each offered by the
State government. The total damage of property, caused by fearless
rioters during curfew when the Meo families had vacated the town, is
estimated at Rs.2 crore.
The Forum took strong
exception to the State government’s attempt to protect Mr. Kunal and Mr.
Dan and demanded that a fearless atmosphere be created in Gopalgarh to
enable the victims to get their statements recorded. A demand was also
placed for a fair survey of damage to property, followed by adequate
compensation and rehabilitation of victims.
Courtesy: The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article3564641.ece?css=print
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