15 days after five people were killed and several others injured in police firing after the Hyderabad Makkah (Mecca) Masjid blast, the Andhra Pradesh goverment has appointed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate into the events leading to the incident. The commission would be headed by Judge V Bhaskara Rao and submit its report within three months.
“The Government of Andhra Pradesh are of the opinion that it is necessary to appoint a Commission of Inquiry for the purpose of making an inquiry into a definite matter of public importance hereinafter specified. Now, therefore, in exercise of powers conferred by section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 (Central Act No.60 of 1952), the Government hereby appoint Justice V Bhaskara Rao, Retired Judge, High Court of A.P. as Commission of Inquiry to inquire into the incident that led to opening of fire by police on 18.05.2007 near Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad,” according to the notification issued on Saturday and made public on Sunday night. [Rediff.com]
In a related development:
The Special Branch of Hyderabad City Police and State Intelligence had submitted their preliminary reports to the government admitting that the police firing on May 18 was indiscriminate and unwarranted. These reports pointed out that policemen had trained their guns on a panic-stricken mob running away from the blast site. The post-mortem reports too indicated that the police firing was indiscriminate, resulting in the death of five persons. The bullets were fired from Self-Loading Rifles normally used in encounters with Maoists or terrorists.
The City Security Wing, in its report, stated that as many as 90 rounds were fired by the policemen. Six constables of the Quick Response Team of the City Police had fired 72 rounds, three constables of the City Armed Reserve had fired 11 rounds and three constables of the West and North Zone Task Force had fired seven rounds at Panch Mohalla and Charminar bus stop near Mecca Masjid. The policemen used six SLRs, four .303 rifles and two pistols. [Rediff.com]
Using automatic weapons to shoot down panic stricken unarmed civilians is unlawful, shameful and further erodes trust in the ability of the police to act as a neutral force to control law and order situations. Hopefully the Commission of Inquiry will properly investigate the events leading to the killing of five people, fix responsibility and recommend action against the guilty.
More on police firings at Muslims: Bhiwandi, Vadodara, Delhi and Aligarh.
Great post. MashaAllah, Mohib Mian is prolific these days!
Keep it up..
R
Thanks Mohib for posting it here.
I dont know how successful this inquiry commission is going to be in its findings and if after their thorough investigation they find out the guilty also, then the biggest question is whether their findings will be implemented and guilty will be Punsihed?
I have got my own apprehensions on this issue as in the past we have seen numerous committies being formed and their reports have been submitted but still no concrete action has been taken, Sri Krishna Report for Babri Masjid or Gujrat Committe report et etc are the live examples of that.
Minorties have been targeted in India from very beginning and the apathy is that Police Force has always been biased and they find inner happiness and satisfaction in targeting the Minorties at their will .
Today the biggest question for the Indians is that are the citizens safe in this country from state sponsored terrorism? Gujrat Riots, UP Riots, Maharashtra Riots all are the examples of State sponsored Terrorism and in today’s scenario the lives of innocent citizens are at stake courtesy to these barbaric brutualities of the so called force designed to protect the Civilians ( police).
Regards
Zartab
True, Gujrat riots was horrible. The state has terribly failed. The police simply watched when people were being attached. The Indian state had also failed in Punjab in the 80s.
Is it so that the Indian state is anti-minority? I think most of the blogs in this site and others seem to think so. And then there is the other side – hindutuva brigade- which believes that the minorities asked for it.
I think the Indian state is not anti-minority. It is just ineffective, incompetent and impotent in protecting minorities. And clearly we the people are to blame.
About half-a-million hindus have been uprooted from Kashmir and they are rotting in the refuge camps in Delhi. Yes the Indian state failed to protect them also. Many were killed and all uprooted from their properties and driven out of the state.
Yes they are minorities in that state and the Indian state failed to protect them.
But why is that we the people are to blame? Because we do not care about all Indians. We care for “our own religious group� more than “others�.
If I may say so, not many people talk about rehabilitating the Kashmiri Hindus. For some reason their rehabilitation is not as fashionable as rehabilitation required in Gujarat. They have been in the refuge camps longer than those in Gujarat.
The point is I am yet to see one blog, leader, article that takes an approach that groups all the displaced people and fights for their cause. We the people do not demand that.
What sensible people should be doing?
The most sensible thing to do is to call for ways that ensure that the law and order is effected through effective state mechanisms- independent of political leadership. This means more courts, more better trained police free of political interference. Better laws. Speedier justice. Better state and central government machineries.
What do you think? Is it better to call for rehabilitation of both Kashmiri Hindus and muslims in Gujarat or should we be concerned with only those of ones own religious group?
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