SP urges Patil to ensure Mumbai Muslims are not harassed

New Delhi, Aug 24 (UNI) Condemning the harassment of Muslims in Mumabi in the name of investigation into July 11 serial blasts, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh today urged the Centre to see that the witchhunt was stopped.

Presenting some victims of such harassment from Mumbai, he said it was unfortunate that despite the assurance of Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the innocent in the city were being arrested and subjected to indignities and torture by the investigating authorities.

When asked if the UPA policies were anti-minority, Mr Singh said he would not say that but it definitely showed that there are a lot of complications between the Congress and its ally and the ruling party in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party(NCP).

''If the Centre cannot have its words implemented by the state Government, it means that there is a lack of coordination and cooperation between the two,'' he added.

Mr Singh said he was disappointed by the Home Minister's reply in the Rajya Sabha when he tried to draw his attention to a report in Mumbai Mirror that Muslim police officers in Mumbai had been instructed by higher authorities to shave off their beard. He demanded the same response from him as in the case of Jaipur incident.

''Mr Patil remarked do not compare the matter to the incident of the hair chopping of a Sikh youth, otherwise it will deteriorate communal harmony, '' said the SP General Secretray, adding such a response to the issue raised by him was unfortunate.

Samajwadi MP from Maharshtra Abu Asim Azmi was also present at the press conference.

Later, Rifa Sheikh, a citizen from Mumbai, told mediapersons that Muslim women were arrested and detained in connection with the blasts and were called to police stations.

''Men members of Muslim families are being arrested and detained without any legal formalities and we are being warned by police aginst seeking legal aid,'' she said.

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