NEW DELHI: Amid the backdrop of strong protest voiced by Muslim organizations and leaders across the country on only Muslims being targeted as “suspected terrorists,” as indicated by Friday’s Operation Batla House, Indian government is trying to clarify its stand on the issue.
Since the killing of two Muslims as suspected militants and arrests of several others for their alleged linkage with blasts in Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, Muslims have started questioning in louder tones as to why similar action is not being taken against Hindu extremists linked with saffron brigade, who are targeting Christians and Muslims in several states.
In a television interview, Home Minister Shivraj Patil categorically laid out that there was no need for any new legislation to combat terrorism.
“Laws can be helpful, machinery can be helpful. Existing laws are tough enough, useful enough. They have to be implemented more effectively, more correctly, more meticulously,” he said.
The Muslim mood across the nation is, however, fairly charged at their being discriminated in the implementation of the existing terrorist laws.
Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, who led the funeral prayers on Monday night of two suspected terrorists killed in Operation Batla House, said: “After all this, neither I, nor any Muslim in this country can believe the policemen when they say that they were terrorists without a fair trial. This is unnecessary victimization of our community and justice must be done.”
“I cannot understand how a 17-year-old boy, a student of 11th standard, can plot with Osama Bin Laden and spread terrorism,” Bukhari said. According to an eyewitness, one of the boys was shot in cold blood.
The burial was also not without controversy. Initially, the police had said that they would allow the burial at Batla House, but later the bodies were sent to Nizamuddin.
“We had been told on Sunday that the burial would be allowed at Batla House. We had made the arrangements accordingly but the police forced us to bring the bodies here at 8.30 p.m. Now that we are here, I guess we should not be shunted around again,” a close family friend of Atif said.
Protesting against the nature of Operation Batla House, Muslim leaders representing different organizations from across the country said in a statement: “We reject the Batla House style of encounter killings. We fail to understand why the alleged terrorists were not caught alive. People in the area believe that it was a fake encounter, that it was a one-sided and preplanned affair.”
“We demand a high-level judicial enquiry into the Batla House encounter so that all facts may come out,” they said.
Demanding “stringent action including immediate ban against Hindutva terrorist outfits,” including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and others, the statement said: “We are unable to understand why the government and security agencies are unable to proceed against Sangh Parivar outfits which have been caught red-handed in acts of terrorism and making bombs.”
