Minority Ministry for task force on Muslim terror cases

Sharing the perception of Muslims that they are being "victimized", Minority Affairs Ministry will soon moot a proposal for setting up of a special task force to oversee the terror cases against the members of the community.

"Muslims believe their youth are being arrested but not tried for years... There is a perception Muslims are being victimised," Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan PTI.
Contending that people should not be arrested without evidence, he said, "There is a deep hurt in the community over what they believe is injustice and we cannot escape it."

Khan said he had would submit a proposal to the government soon for setting up of a task force.

"I will be writing to the government to set up a task force. It should have powers to monitor these cases," he said.

Most suspects are released after five, seven or 10 years but their life is ruined, the Minister said.

He said delay in trial of terror cases is tantamount to "denying basic rights to citizens" as long spell behind bars destroys their lives.

"It is also true that terrorism exists. Eliminating the menace is everyone's responsibility, including that of Muslims," he said.

He said he would ask the government to involve moderate community leaders to deal with challenges facing Muslims.

The UK has taken a similar approach to deal with terrorism by taking community leaders onboard and he would ask the India government to adopt a similar approach, Khan said.


The minister said he had written to Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde about the resentment among Muslims due to long delay in concluding trial in terrorism cases and was assured of positive action.

Khan said special courts should be set up for speedy justice in such cases.

"...There is a perception that Muslims are involved whenever there is blast....This perception is not supported by evidence," he said, stressing that most suspects are released sooner or later.

He said the arrest of MIM leader, Akbaruddin Owaisi for allegedly making a hate speech while "much lighter treatment" to VHP leader Praveen Togadia, who made a hate speech after Owaisi, was wrong.

The rightwing Hindutva leader should also have been arrested if evidence suggested that he also made provocative statements, he said.

"I do not know (what Togadia said). But if he made a provocation speech like Owaisi, he should be arrested," he said.

Khan said educational backwardness is the biggest problem facing Muslims and UPA government is executing various programmes, targeting them.