India Urged To Stop Random Arrests Of Muslim Men On ISIS Pretext

Muslim Leaders Salim, Arshad Ashihad, Rasheedi Naved Hamid ,AB Hamid Numani at the press conference in new Delhi on Monday. (Express photo)

New Delhi, 1 Jumadal Awwal 1437/February 9, 2016 (MINA) – Six Indian Muslim organisations have come together to denounce the ISIS group as “unIslamic” but have also exhibited concern over what they called a conspiracy to target and arrest educated young Muslim men under the “pretext of ISIS”.

This, they apprehend, is a ploy to create terror among the community, which will create a problem for the country in the long run, Indian Express quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“Arrest of innocent Muslim youths on one hand, and steps for release of the accused in big Hindutva terror cases (on the other), prove that the ruling party is implementing its communal agenda and its slogan of ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’ was a mirage,” the organisations said Monday.

The six groups are Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Ahle Hadees, All-India Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Milli Council, and the Welfare Party.

Alleging that there appears to be a motive behind demonising the community, S Q R T Ilyas of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board and Welfare Party said Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said at a counter-terror conference held in March last year that there was no ISIS in India.

“What explains the vacillations since,” he asked. “Has one year suddenly made most educated young (Muslims) suspects?” The group claimed that in 2014 only 18 of 141 people apprehended were chargesheeted, and the remaining 123 were found innocent. Most of these people, too, would probably be released by higher courts, they said, alleging that young men from the community are picked up randomly and charged with being either terrorists or sympathisers.

They made seven demands of the NDA government, including “full expose of the Hindutva terror network uncovered by slain (Mumbai Police) ATS chief Hemant Karkare, and cases brought to light by admissions of Swami Aseemanand”.

Thy also demanded formation of a panel to work as “watchdog” and look into cases of arrests made on “mere suspicion”. (T/R04/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)