Muslim outfits to launch 'Jail Bharo' over Srikrishna report

Mumbai, Oct 25 (UNI) Mumbai Samajwadi Party unit president Abu Asim Azmi today asked the Maharashtra government to implement the Srikrishna Commission report in toto before December 5 or else face the state-wide 'Jail Bharo' andolan.

Addressing a gathering of more than 5,000 members of the minority community at the Azad Maidan here under the banner of 'Nyay Andolan', Mr Azmi said ''It is an irony that the trial court has convicted 100 people for the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, which killed 257 people, while the people accused of killing 2,500 others are scot free.'' Accusing the state government of being partisan on the report, the SP leader cautioned Muslims not to be ''victim of the vote-bank politics'', which had deprived them of justice till now.

''I call upon members of the Muslim community to sink their internal differences and forge a cohesive single identity to fight injustice,'' he said.

Mr Azmi accused the state government of manipulating the implementation of the Srikrishna report by taking action against unknown persons, while allowing the ''implicated police officials'' to continue in the force.

He demanded the immediate arrest of former Police Commissioner R D Tyagi for his alleged connivance during the riots.

In the same context, he demanded that the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) be invoked against all those named by the report, as the government had invoked TADA on people convicted in the blasts.

The leaders present in the rally passed a resolution demanding compensation to all those who suffered death, injury and loss of property without further delay -- the trial of former Shiv Sena MP Madhukar Sarpotdar for the same offence and under similar law as actor Sanjay Dutt was convicted and case against former minister Gajanan Kirtikar be expedited.

Besides, Mr Azmi demanded compensation for the victims of Malegoan blasts, at par with victims of other states, and a CBI investigation into the blast at Ajmer 'dargah' to arrest the real culprits.

Several Muslim leaders, including Maulana Athar Ali, Maulana Abdul Jabbar Azmi, Maulana Naimutullah Nouri, Maulana Abdul Hameed of Malegoan also voiced their support for the speedy implementation of the Srikrishna report and said it should be done under the observation of the Supreme Court.

UNI