Muslims facing 'systematic discrimination': Owaisi

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday alleged that the members of the minority community were experiencing "systemic discrimination" in the criminal justice system regardless of the party in power.

He was reacting to the acquittal of one of the accused in the2008 Rampur CRPF camp attack case by a court in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. In a tweet, the Hyderabad MP said, "Muslims are incarcerated in terror cases only to be acquitted after decades. We experience systemic discrimination in the criminal justice system regardless of the party in power. The double injustice here is not only to Gulab Khan but also to the victims of Rampur attack."

In another tweet, Owaisi asked "Who were the real culprits? Will Gulab Khan be compensated for the indignity that he & his family had to endure?" A court in Rampur of UttarPradesh had convicted six accused, including two Pakistani nationals, in the attack on a CRPF camp in Rampur in 2008.

The court of the additional district judge held them guilty under various sections. It, however, acquitted Muhammad Kausar (a resident of Pratapgarh) and Gulab Khan (a resident of Bareilly), accused of hiding the weapons used in the attack. In 2008, terrorists attacked the Rampur-based CRPF group centre, in which seven CRPF jawans and one civilian were killed, while some jawans and citizens had sustained serious injuries.

Cases were registered against eight persons under various sections of IPC, Arms Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, The Explosive Substances Act and The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.