NMC chairman faces wrath of Muslim groups

Mumbai, Sep 5 (UNI) The first visit of the newly-appointed Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Mohd Shafi Qureshi, came in for sharp criticism from minotities, NGOs and the civil liberty groups, for his alleged failure to put pressure on the Maharashtra government to implement the recomendations of the Srikrishna Commission report.

Mr Qureshi, accompanied by Vice-Chairman Michael Pinto and member Harbachan Singh Josh, was on a day-long visit to the metropolis, during which the delegation met the members of the Muslim community as well as other groups at the Sahayadri Guest House here.

However, the visit was marked with protests, and sloganeering from the Muslim groups against the state government.

''If the Delhi government can give its approval to prosecute leaders like Sajjan Kumar, H K L Bhagat and Jagdish Tytler for their alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, then what prevents Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Home Minister R R Patil in allowing the prosecution of Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray and other leaders from the Sena?'' questioned Dr Anwar Amir Ansari, President of a local NGO.

''Justice (retd) Srikrishna worked hard to ensure that the perpetrators behind the 1992-93 riots are brought to book. Even we were hopeful that justice will be done to those who became victims of the well-planned violence. But the government seems to have undone all that by not acting on the report,'' said burkha-clad Uzma Nahid, who was representing various Muslim institutes.

''What could be most unfortunate was the fact that this Democratic Front government had promised to implement all the recommendations in toto in its poll manifesto. They are in power for the last eight years but have not dared take action against the culprits. Does it not show that they are hand-in-glove with all of them?'' she alleged.

Accusing the Deshmukh government of being soft on those who had master-minded the 1992-93 communal riots, Sania Huma, a social activist said it was shocking that while the government whole-heartedly pursued the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, when it comes to punishing the rioters, it talks of forming committees and seeks 'legal opinions'.

Earlier in the day, Mr Qureshi held meeting with the members of Christian, Sikh, Parsi and Buddhist communities, in which the representatives of the communities demanded for reservation in the government jobs as well as in educational institutions.

UNI