Muslim outfits seek Patil’s head
Battle for states: Parties attack Congress over encounter
As the controversial Batla House encounter is being raked up amid the ongoing elections in Uttar Pradesh, Muslim organisations and Jamia Millia Islamia University teachers’ panel has demanded the removal of Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, who was the Union home minister at the time of the shootout in 2008.
Zafaryab Jilani, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board told Deccan Herald that “first Digvijay Singh and now Salman Khursheed are trying to convey that there was something wrong in this encounter. If the Congress is so serious regarding the issue, why don’t they ask Shivraj Patil to step down from the post of Governor till court decides whether the encounter was fake or genuine.”
Manisha Sethi, member of the Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, who led several protests demanding independent probe into the matter echoed the same.
“The general perception is that the encounter was stage-managed to save the then home minister Shivraj Patil because he was being criticised for serial blasts in Delhi.
However, the government instead of ordering judicial probe rewarded him the constitutional post of Governor”, Sethi told Deccan Herald.
Sethi further opined that “Instead of rhetoric, Congress should at least ask Patil to resign till court pronounces final verdict as the party denied Lok Sabha tickets to Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, who were accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
In the controversial Batla House shootout, that took place on September 19, 2008 in Delhi, two alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) members - Atif Ameen and Mohammed Sajid, belonging to Azamgarh district in UP and one police officer were killed.
Immediately after the shootout it was alleged that police had staged the encounter to save Shivraj Patil and ward off pressure after serial blasts in Delhi had killed 20 people a week before. The issue came back into prominence, when Digvijay Singh, who is the Congress in-charge of UP while addressing the media in Azamagarh on January 11 said that the encounter was “fake”.
The claim of Digvijay Singh was rejected by the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who said that the encounter was genuine.
However, in an apparent negation to the claim of Chidamabaram on the issue Union Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khursheed while campaign in Azamgarh on Thursday said: "I was not a minister at that time but still took the issue of the Batla encounter to Sonia Gandhi and she had tears in her eyes."
Differing opinions between Congress and government on the issue has led to anger among people in the district.
Maya lambasts Congress
In an apparent bid to corner the Congress, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday slammed the Congress party for “misleading” the muslims on the Batla House encounter and shedding crocodile tears for the community, reports DHNS from Lucknow.
“Had the Congress been honest, it would have got a judicial inquiry ordered into the encounter,” Mayawati said while addressing election meetings at Jaunpur and Varanasi districts.
