MUMBAI, 22 August 2007 — Continuing to exert its pressure on the Maharashtra government on the controversial Srikrishna Commission report, the group of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) spearheading the campaign for its implementation, demanded that the state government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the issue.
The group of NGOs under the banner of Nyay Andolan, met Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil on Monday and placed their demand with a list of 35-odd cases, which can be tried by the special courts.
Journalist and social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was part of the NGOs delegation that met Patil, said: “Besides this, we are also demanding a comprehensive witness protection program.”
Setalvad also demanded that the state government should form a panel of public prosecutors to carry out the trials of the cases.
Maulana Mustaqeem, secretary of Jamaitul Ulema Maharashtra unit said “We have formed a panel of lawyers, who are going through the records of the cases.”
“We will also have a monitoring committee which will go into details of each case,” he said However, sharp differences leading to a division of opinion appear to have risen in the Muslim community, with a large number of people critical of the NGOs raking up the only issue of the implementation of the Srikrishna panel report.
“What’s the use of beating the drums after sleeping over the issue for the past 14 years after the riots? It would only lead to more hatred with the majority community and equally more problems for the Muslims,” said Imtiaz Khan, a lecturer in a local college.
“These NGO leaders, the self-proclaimed leaders of the Muslim community are doing all the drama for their own publicity and interests. Why are they harping and sharpening their stand on the Srikrishna panel report only? Why not a single leader of these NGOs spoke on the issue of irregularities in the sale of Waqf lands worth thousands of millions of rupees which has caused immeasurable loss to the Muslim community? And why have these leaders not demanded action against those who are involved in the illegal transactions of the Waqf lands,” asked Nazim Inamdar, a young English print medium journalist.
In another development, former federal railway minister and prominent BJP leader Ram Naik yesterday demanded that the governor dismiss State Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Waqf Anees Ahmed. “The court has penalized Ahmed for corruption of more than 110 million rupees in his departments,” Naik alleged and said that the governor should now “sack” Ahmed.
Naik further said that largescale corruption has taken place in the collection of taxes at the tax center for entry into the Aarey Milk Complex, and alleged that Ahmed is completely involved in it. It would be stupid to sit quiet he said while quoting a proverb in the Marathi language: “If the fence itself eats the field, then where should one complain about it.” Naik added that he expected the governor to order the police to register a criminal offense against Ahmed.
