Open letter to Election Commission of India in case of police firing on Muslim Minority

To
The Chief Election Commissioner
New Delhi

Subject: in relation to grant of compensation to the victim of communal rioting taken place at Bazardiha in Varanasi

Respected sir,
This is to bring in your kind notice that on 11th march, 2009 the Uttar Pradesh police had fired indiscriminately on mob which results in death of two young people and injury of eight people. Mohammad Moin Akhtar aged about 22 years son of Mr Mukhtar Ahamad resident of Galla Bazardiha under Bhelupura police station, and Khalikujjama aged about 19 years son of Mohammad Salim resident of Rajanagar Murgipatola under Bazardiha police station had been died in consequence of police firing. The police started firing without giving warning nor had it used tear gas to disrupt the mob. PVCHR had reported the case to India Today magazine, which can be seen on http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32039§ionid=4&issueid=96&Itemid=1In this regard the government declared compensations to the family of deceased and the injured people. This is declared under as an emergency assistance so it does provide extra benefits to the government nor does it give mileage to any party This does not belong to any political parties so it does not violate the code of ethics of election. The people who had been died and injured are mostly belong to weavers. The pathetic condition of weavers is known by all though various publication. Besides this they became the victim of communal rioting, taken place in Bajardiha. Though the family of deceased and injured people faces irreparable loss and they are living in trauma but the compensation granted to the families of deceased and injured people would provide some relief.

Name of Victim:
1. Mohammad Moin Akhtar (died) aged 22 years son of Mr Mukhtar Ahamad resident of Galla Bazardiha under Bhelupura police station,
2. Khalikujjama (died) aged 19 years son of Mohammad Salim resident of Rajanagar Murgipatola under Bazardiha police station
3. Abdul Rahman (Injured) aged 17 years son of Abdul Badd
4. Akbar Ali (Injured) aged 25 years son of Asagar Ali
5. Mohammad Asalam (injured) aged 25 years son of Shobarati
6. Gulzar Ahamad (Injured) aged 20 years son of Nasim Akhatar
7. Abdul Salaam(Injured) aged 20 years son of Dildar Ahamad.
8. Dildar (Injured) son of Sageer
9. Ansar Ahamad(Injured) son of Sharfuddin
10. Vaseem Ahamad (Injured) aged 24 years son of Riyaz Ahamad

Name of Perpetrators:
1. Shamsher Singh In-charge of Bazardiha police out-post
2. R.B. Singh Station House Officer of Bhelupur police station
3. Babu Lal local leader
4. Vijay Vishawakarma, local corporator
5. Other police men who involved in firing.

Facts of the case: the police started firing when the Muslim community people went to submit their complaint that some communal Hindu group were creating nuisance by throwing color over religious place of Muslim community. Shamsher Singh In-charge of Bazardiha police out-post had overlooked their complaint, which is masque near the Gausia Madarasa. This place is surrounded by Muslim inhabitant and it is very far from the Hindu locality At the same time both the community started to throw stone over each other. At the occasion police came and took favour of communal Hindu group and started firing over the mob. In consequence of this firing two young people had lost their life while eight people had been injured. The injured have been admitted in a Luxmi Medical and Surgical Centre, a private hospital in Varanasi. However some political person and intellectual class convinced the people of both the community so no communal rioting could take place.
However a Shanti Samiti ( Peace Committee) had been set up by the District administration comprising administration, police and hindu and muslim leader. Two day before the holi and barawafat when the meeting of the committee took place it was suspected that some communal people were trying to disturb the communal harmony at holi, but it was overlooked which resulted in this unfortunate event.
Actually the administration and the police system remained failing in dealing with this type of situation. From the last three year the efforts were being made to decolorize the holi festival by disturbing communal harmony and it is expected that this year those people would try to do the same, but no necessary precaution has been taken. From the last three years these people were organizing Matkafod (people are making pyramid and the top person breaks the clay pot which drench the entire people) near muslim populated area where more than ninety percent population are muslim. This ceremony was held in leadership of Babu Lal and Vijay Vishawakarma. It expresses their intention to disturb communal harmony, which is started from last 3-4 years.
400-500 unknown people had been accused for different sections of IPC, but Babu Lal and Vijay Vishawakarma have not been accused who are the real culprit. The administration is favoring itself by saying that when the police men had no option instead of firing then they opened fire at mob.
However the fact is that the people, who were dead or injured, were not the part of mob. The deceased Khalikujjama, had gone to play the cricket and became the prey of police bullet. Mohammad Asalam was returning from in-laws house, the police caught him beat and in last they open fire on his head. When the PVCHR team visited the place of occurrence the inhabitants of the place were showing them fired bullets, as one resident Mr. Shakil Ahamad was showing that bullet was entangled in his window. All of these exhibit how the police have acted indiscriminately.
Apart form that the police had forced the family member of Mohammad Moin Akhtar to buried his dead corpse at 3:00 am of 12th march, 2009 while the family members were requesting to bury it in day time as their culture prohibits to bury dead corpse in night.
On 14th march, 2009 it has been published in newspaper that Mukhtar Ahamad, the father of deceased Mohammad Moin Akhtar, lodged FIR against Shamsher Singh In-charge of Bazardiha police out-post, R.B. Singh Station House Officer of Bhelupur police station, Babu Lal local leader, Vijay Vishawakarma, local corporator, Sanjay Nath Tiwari Station House Officer of Sigra police station, Rajkumar and Mata Prasad under section 302, 307, 147,148, 149, 504, 506, 337, 295, of Indian Penal Code. The new Station House Officer of Bhelupur police station G S Sarana assured that the communal rioter would be arrested soon. It is outcome of amplification of the voice of survivors.

Request:
It is therefore most respectfully requested that kindly take the matter seriously and urgently and allow the government to provide appropriate compensation to the family of deceased and injured people so that they could be provided some relief.

Yours faithfully


Dr Lenin
(Convener)

Note:

Please write to in solidarity:
1.Chief Electoral Officer
Official Address 20-Bahukhandi Bhawan,First Floor
Uttar Pradesh Sachivalaya,Lucknow
Phone 0522-2238106
E-mail ceoup@up.nic.in
For any Election related query,please call our Helpline Number
Helpline Number 0522-2200674
2.Chief Election Commissioner,India
gopalaswamin@eci.gov.in