BJP and Left raise questions after home minister asks states not to wrongfully detain innocent minority community youth.
In the warm up period prior to the elections, the Centre on Monday courted another controversy that otherwise would have passed off as a routine affair.
Within hours of union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde announcing he has sent a letter to all the state chief ministers asking them to ensure that no innocent Muslim youth is wrongfully detained in the name of terror, the BJP and the Left came down heavily on the Congress for trying to appease Muslims and seeking political advantage.
“The home minister must immediately withdraw the order and apologise to the nation. It is against democracy and against secularism,” said BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu.
Welcoming the “concern” shown and even empirical data showing data large number of young Muslims being imprisoned without trial or charge-sheet for years together, the Left questioned the timing of the letter with elections due in May next year.
“This should have come long back, not just before election season. The minorities cannot be wooed by the Congress party in this manner,” said CPI leader, D Raja.
Brushing aside the criticism, Shinde stoutly defended his letter as a “routine work”.
“BJP can keep demanding what they want. This is my routine work and I have done it,” Shinde said.
Earlier, making a strong case to give reprieve to innocent Muslim youth, Shinde said Central government has received several representations alleging harassment of innocent Muslim youth by law enforcement agencies.
In his letter to the chief ministers, Shinde said some of the minority youth have started feeling that they are deliberately targeted and deprived their rights
“Government has to ensure that no innocent person is subjected to undue harassment,” the letter said.
Shidne also asked States to constitute special courts in consultation with concerned high court for speedy trial of these cases and give priority to terror cases.
Shidne also advised chief ministers to take strict and prompt action against erring police officers where there is mala-fide arrests of any member of minority community wrongfully arrested.
“Such person should not only be released immediately but also be suitably compensated and rehabilitated to join the mainstream,” the letter said.
Sources in the union home ministry said the letter was in line with the routine job as the ministry was asked by minority affairs minister K Rahman Khan, several left leaders and even Muslim intelligentsia to do something about the continuing persecution of innocent Muslim youth by the states’ police.
“The letter would not have been necessary had the communal violence bill been passed as it takes care of such concerns,” an official said.
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