Organisation alleged that police used brute force on Muslim community indiscriminately
By Abdul Hafiz Lakhani Ahmedabad
Gujarat Muslim Heet Rakshak Samiti- A umbrella organisation of State Muslim Civil Society groups on Wednesday made an appeal to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to institute an independent inquiry into the police highhandness against Muslims witnessed on Friday in Shahpur area of Ahmadabad, Gujarat.
Mufti Rizwan Tarapuri in a signed letter alleged that in the name lockdown, Shahpur police showed its ugly face of brute force on Rozedars just before iftari.
The police allegedly beat up and picked up Muslims from Ahmedabad’s Shahpur indiscriminately for detention following a minor altercation with the locals who had gone out to buy essentials. In the ensuing melee, police personnel went on the rampage at the time of iftar (evening breakfast). They were on the prowl in the area for quite some time randomly targeting Muslim youths beating and kidnapping them. Some of them reportedly barged into Muslim homes and thrashed family members including women and children.
In one instance, a policeman allegedly poked the belly of a pregnant lady with his baton.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, the group made an earnest appeal for an end to arrest of “innocent Muslims” and an impartial probe into the violence. They pleaded that “no indiscriminate and illegal arrest of innocent Muslims be made till then”.
The police broke into homes, destroyed private properties, pelted stones and dented parked cars and shattered their windowpanes, the letter alleged. “The pregnant woman at the home was beaten up by the Police.”
The Coronavirus lockdown has seen a new wave of hate crimes against Muslism by hindutva gangs who falsely accuse them of spreading the virus. In some instances police, who are at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic have been accused of having committed acts of “excessive and abusive use of power and authority particularly against people belonging to marginal groups like minorities, Dalits, labourers, daily wagers and other meagre income groups.
In Shahpur, the local Muslims alleged that they were physically assaulted and beaten by the Police. The police dragged a middle aged man, who had operated on his leg six month ago, onto the road and beat him up with sticks.
Gyasuddin Shaikh, a local lawmaker, told the media that there was lack of planning on part of the authorities while enforcing the restriction in the area in view of the lockdown.
The letter demanded that action should be initiated against police if the investigation finds them to have committed “illegal and criminal acts”.
It all started with when Muslim women were out on the street near Sarkiwad to buy some essentials for Ramadan when they were waylaid by the police. A verbal exchanged ensued. The contention of the police was that they were only enforcing lockdown under which purchase of only milk and medicine is allowed.
Gujarat Muslim Heet Rakshak Samiti had members from all leading Muslim organisations like JUH( both faction),JIH, Milli council and others. According to sources JUH Arshad Madni group is fighting legally in this case. (With Media Input). www.siyasat.net is Ahmedabad,Gujarat based website.
