ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E- MUSHAWARAT

[Umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations]

D-250, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025

Tel.: 011-26946780 Fax: 011-26947346 Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com

Press Release

Journalist Kazmi arrest:

Leaders of Muslim organisations meet Delhi Police Commissioner

New Delhi, 21 March 2012: Leaders of some of India’s leading Muslim organisations met the Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta here today. The delegation apprised the Police Commissioner about the Muslim community’s apprehensions over the renewed harassment of the community in the name of the fight against terror.

Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, led the delegation. He told the Police Commissioner that Muslims are deeply pained and angered by the renewed arrests of Muslim youth, especially the arrest of the well-known journalist Mr Muhammad Ahmad Kazmi. The delegation told the Police Commissioner that the long remand by the police, permission to foreign agencies to interrogate Mr Kazmi and his reported torture are matters of grave concern to the community.

The delegation asked the Police Commissioner to rein in the Special Cell of Delhi Police which is notorious for its illegal activities like torture and fabrication of evidence. The delegation requested the Police Commissioner to stop the informal media briefings by police officers and reported by the media almost every passing day since the arrest of Mr Kazmi. The delegation also told the Police Commissioner that Muslim youth are being arrested on mere suspicion and without tangible proofs while saffron terrorists are roaming around and no one dares to touch them despite the fact that their names appear in official documents like the Malegaon and Ajmer blasts chargesheets.

The Police Commissioner denied that Mr Kazmi is being tortured or ill-treated in any way. He added that he is personally following the case and officers have been clearly instructed not to torture Mr Kazmi or harm him in any way. He also said that foreign agencies have not been allowed so far to interrogate Mr Kazmi which, he said, is not easy because a lengthy procedure has to followed for permitting access of foreign agencies to such persons.

The Police Commissioner assured the delegation that no allegation will be made in the chargesheet which does not have ample proof and justification. Moreover, the Police Commissioner said that the Delhi Police has no permission to harass Muslims of Delhi and some policemen have been suspended when they were found involved in such activity. He further said that most of what the media is saying is baseless and we deny it but, he added, media is very powerful in our country and it is not easy to rein in the media. He suggested that victims should go to courts to seek redressal against baseless news published by the media. The Police Commissioner assured the delegation that no injustice will be allowed to take place.

The delegation included Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, Mr Mujtaba Farooq, President of the Welfare Party of India and convenor, Coordination Committee of Indian Muslims, Mr Muhammad Ahmad, Secretary of the Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Maulana Muhsin Taqawi, Imam of the Shia Jama Masjid Delhi, Maulana Ataur Rahman Qasmi, Chairman of the Shah Waliullah Institute, Maulana Jalal Haidar, Secretary of the All India Majlis-e Ulama and Mr Zaheer Zaidi, Chairman of Shia Point.

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