Compensation, certificates to 61 Muslim youths
tortured in blast case
Saturday January 07, 2012 07:51:52 PM,
IANS
|
Hyderabad: In an
unprecedented move, the Andhra Pradesh government Friday paid
compensation to Muslim youths wrongly arrested and tortured by
police in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case.
Minister for Minority Welfare Mohammed Ahmedullah distributed
cheques of Rs.54.2 lakh among 61 Muslim youths at a function
attended by government officials and leaders of the
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM).
While 15 people who were acquitted in the case were paid Rs.3 lakh
each, 46 others, who were let off after questioning by the police,
were given cheques of Rs.20,000 each.
They were also given certificates, stating that they are not
involved in any case.
This is the first time in India that a state has paid compensation
to people wrongly arrested and tortured on terrorism charges.
The government had identified 70 victims and announced
compensation of Rs.70 lakh but the names of nine of them were
dropped from the list as the cases against them were yet to be
withdrawn.
"While they can't be compensated for the physical, mental and
social torture that they were subjected to and for the hardships
faced in jail, we are trying to heal the wounds," the minister
said.
"These innocents were tortured and held guilty. This is the first
time that a government has admitted its mistake," said Mohammed
Ali Rafath, secretary, minorities welfare department.
While describing the government move as exemplary, MIM leader and
legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi demanded that the police officers
responsible for the arrests and torture of the innocents be
punished.
"The government has met our demands for compensation and the chief
minister has also apologized in the assembly and we hope it will
also take action against the guilty police officers," said
Akbaruddin, who is the leader of MIM in state assembly.
The MIM leader urged the government to pay compensation to all
victims by withdrawing cases against them, saying the other cases
were result of the police action implicating them falsely in the
blast case.
The National Minorities Commission had asked the state government
to pay compensation. It had also recommended to the government to
consider deducting the amount from the salaries of erring police
officials.
Nine persons were killed in a blast during Friday prayers at the
historic Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007. Five more persons were
killed in the subsequent police firing on protestors outside the
mosque.
Following the blast, the police had arrested dozens of Muslim
youths. 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.
In 2010, investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) revealed that right-wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat was
involved in the blast. The group's leaders and activists were
subsequently arrested.
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