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Rs.7 million released for Muslim youths wrongly held
Perhaps in
the first instance of victims of police torture in a terror case
being paid compensation in India, Andhra Pradesh has released Rs.7
million for innocent Muslim youths arrested and tortured in the
2007 Mecca Masjid » |
Hyderabad:
In a bizarre move the Andhra Pradesh government has directed to
debit the Mecca Masjid and Shahi Masjid Public garden accounts to
pay the compensation amount to the Muslim men who were wrongly
framed in the 2007 blast case.
The Andhra Pradesh Minorities
Welfare Department in its order dated December o6 while
sanctioning an amount of Rs 7mn as compensation to the innocent
Muslim youths who were arrested and tortured in the 2007 Mecca
Masjid blast case, says the amount "should be debitable to the
Administration of Mecca Masjid and Public Garden."
"....Government after careful
examination hereby accord Administrative Sanction for an amount of
Rs. 70.00 Lakhs (Rupees Seventy Lakhs only) towards expenditure to
be incurred in connection with Confidence Building Measures and
Compensation for 20 cases affected in Mecca Masjid Bomb Blasts in
2007. These orders were issued in relaxation of Treasury Control
and quarterly regulation orders subject to providing funds by way
of obtaining Supplementary Grants during 2011-12 at the
appropriate time under the Non-Plan. The Expenditure sanctioned
above shall be debitable to the “ 2225 – 80 – MH 800 – SH (08) –
Administration of Mecca Masjid and Public Garden 310/312 – Other
Grant-in-Aid (To be Opened)", the government order published by a
web portal says.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohd Ali Rafat,
principal secretary to the government and head of minority welfare
department, downplayed the whole issue, saying it is a procedural
thing.
“Minority welfare department is out
of funds so it had to choose any administrative department to
provide compensation, administrative funds of Mecca Masjid and
Shahi Masjid in public garden were just chosen from options,
government will return back the amount as grant-in-aid as it was
referred in G.O. sooner or later", TCN quoted Rafat as saying.
The AP government released the
compensation amount on the recommendations of the National
Minorities Commission, which had
asked the government to consider deducting the amount from the
salaries of erring police officials.
Nine people were killed in the blast during Friday prayers at the
historic Mecca Masjid May 18, 2007. Five more people were killed
in the subsequent police firing on protesters outside the mosque.
Following the blast, the police arrested dozens of Muslims youths
and filed cases against them. A fact-finding committee of the
state minorities commission, in its report, said the police
tortured the youths.
The arrested youths were acquitted by the courts during the last
one year.
Last year, following the arrest of activists of right-wing Hindu
groups for involvement in the mosque blast, the chief minister
offered to tender an apology to all the Muslim youths who were
'illegally' detained.
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