The Hindu : Noisy scenes over DJS activities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Noisy scenes over DJS activities

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Feb. 25. The State Assembly witnessed noisy scenes and heated debate on Tuesday, over the activities of Darsgah-e- Jehad-o Shahadat (DJS) and the killing of two Muslim youths in alleged encounter with police. The BJP members flashing the photographs of the victims of murders committed allegedly by DJS, had a wordy duel with MIM and Congress members.

The issue came up for discussion for over two hours, through Rule 304 notice given by the BJP floor leader N. Indrasena Reddy and 25 others. A procedural wrangle took much of the time, with Mr. Indrasena Reddy insisting on the Home Minister, T. Devender Goud's reply soon after his party colleague, K. Laxman spoke, as was decided at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting.

The Deputy Speaker, K. Harishwar Reddy informed Mr. Reddy that the MIM floor leader, Asaduddin Owaisi, was being given a chance in accordance with the decision taken by the Speaker, K. Pratibha Bharathi, as the issues raised by BJP and MIM were similar. But the BJP members did not relent. They softened their stand only after the Speaker came on, took the views of the floor leaders and asked Mr. Owaisi to speak.

Listing out a number of incidents involving ISI-supported terrorist groups, Mr.Laxman said Andhra Pradesh in general and Hyderabad in particular had become a refuge for these groups, as the Government remained soft and indifferent. From the police officer, Krishna Prasad, several the BJP/ VHP activists to the 10 innocents, they were all brutally killed by these groups. A number of Pakistanis overstayed after the expiry of their visa period. Far from condoling such kilkings, the MIM and Congress leaders sympathised with the perpetrators of heinous crime. The Congress members protested noisily. He went on to demand a ban on DJS and invoking of POTA against its arrested activists.

Mr. Owaisi said his party condemned the blast near temple and the 10 murders and wanted that the real culprits brought to book. But it was against innocent people being picked up by police and killed in fake encounters, as was the case with Azam and Aziz. They were killed in inhuman manner by police, for giving the impression that cases were solved expeditiously and for keeping the Hindutva forces happy, he alleged.

The FIR had no shred of evidence of the complicity of the two youths. The so-called confessions made by them before police were not legally valid. He picked holes in the police theory of encounters. There was not even a drop of blood at the site where Azam was killed. In the case of Aziz, it was much more laughable. A LeT militant, he was supposed to have sped away on a bicycle. Why did the police not arrest them invoking provisions of POTA and AP Prevention of Organised Crime Act? He held the Additional Director General of Intelligence, the Ranga Reddy Superintendent of Police, Ramachandra Raju, the Uppal police station Inspector, Sivaramakrishna, responsible for the encounter killings. They had anti-minority bias, he said and alleged that Mr. Sivaramakrishna possessed a hit list of over 50 minority youths. He demanded judicial enquiry into bomb blast and the killing of Azam and Aziz.

D. Nagender (Congress) made counter charges against the BJP, saying it was fomenting trouble all over the country with its communal agenda.

The BJP members protested. The series of incidents showed that there was Government and intelliegnce failure. The cases booked were weak and demanded a CBI inquiry.

N. Narasimhaiah (CPI-M), wanted to know the action taken gainst the police officers, who have failed to check the incident of bomb blast in time. He called for an all-party meeting on ways of dealing with the situation, arising out of the incidents.

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Noisy scenes over DJS activities