People's Tribunal to hear minority victims of terrorism

Hyderabad, Aug 21 (UNI) An independent ''People's Tribunal'' will be organised here for three days from tomorrow for the benefit of minority victims of atrocities in the name of fighting ''terrorism.'' Victims or their close relatives from eight states would depose before the Tribunal. Asghar Ali Engineer, Justice S N Bhargava, Justice Sardar Ali and K G Kannabiran are the eminent members of the Tribunal.

The findings would be recorded and forwarded to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Ms Shabnam Hashmi of 'Anhad' told newspersons here today.

The Tribunal was being jointly organised by 'Anhad', Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee, 'Aman Samudaya' (Gujarat), People's Union of Civil Liberties (Karnataka), People's Union of Human Rights (Uttar Pradesh), Quami Mahaz (Gujarat), Sandarbh (Madhya Pradesh), Siasat (Andhra Pradesh) and Asmita (Andhra Pradesh).

''After each bomb blast or violence act, arrests are made and organisations named but the police and investigative agencies have not been able to prove their claims in most of such cases. The people arrested continue to languish in jails or suffer other kinds of victimisation. More often, the real culprits remain at bay and threat remains undiminished,'' she lamented.

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