Jamia teacher's association seeks judicial probe into Batla house encounter

Demanding a judicial probe into the Batla house encounter, an association of Jamia teachers today hit out at the Congress for making "meaningless gestures" after a senior party leader visited the families of those slain in the shootout in Uttar Pradesh.

"Why has the Congress-led UPA consistently bulldozed the demand of a fair probe... hiding behind the sham inquiry conducted by the NHRC. Mere patronising words and condescending visits to the families of slain boys in the Batla house encounter cannot heal the wounds of injustices," president of Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association (JTSA) Manisha Sethi said in a statement.

Terming Congress leader Digvijay Singh's visit to Azamgarh yesterday as a "meaningless gesture", JTSA said "unless the demand of fair probe was ceded to, unless those responsible for torturing and foisting false cases against innocent Muslim youth were not punished, such actions were useless.

They alleged that the arrest of another Azamgarh-based youth Shehzad Ahmed, who was said to have escaped from L-18 where encounter took place in September 2008 was made after those in custody were subjected to mental and physical torture.

Two suspected Indian Mujhaideen militants and a Delhi police inspector were killed in the encounter, while Shehzad and one Junaid fled. The latter is still at large, according to police.

With Shehzad's arrest, police has so far nabbed seven persons in connection with the serial blasts.