Malegaon locals avoid minorities panel meeting

UP IN ARMS: The residents are protesting against the arrests in the Malegaon blasts probe

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: The state minorities commission which had called a meeting of representatives of Malegaon residents and the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) in the city on Monday in a bid to diffuse resentment in the powerloom township against arrests in the blasts case got a jolt when they realised not a single person from Malegaon was present.

Residents are planning a bandh on Tuesday to protest against arrests in the case. The commission has appealed to residents to reconsider the bandh.

The ATS has arrested five persons in connection with the September 8 incident when four bombs went off, killing 38 people and injuring 297 others. However, Malegaon residents are not convinced with the arrests and are demanding that the real culprits be brought to book. The ATS has claimed that the accused carried out the blasts with the help of their Pakistani accomplices.

“There is talk that the minority community in Malegaon is being targeted by the police. We are here to solve problems and bridge the gap between the people and the police through dialogue,’’ said Abraham Mathai, vice-chairman of the commission. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said the panel could play an important role in bridging the gap between the police and residents. “If the police feels the probe is going in the right direction then why is there a bandh call? The bandh will result in economic losses and create further distrust between the police and the community,’’ Bhatt said, adding it was the duty of the police to eliminate fear from the minds of people. “I hope the bandh doesn’t result in any untoward incident. The police should provide bandobast and handle the situation sensitively.’’

ATS deputy inspector-general S K Jaiswal said the police were conducting the probe in a fair manner. “We will gain the faith of the community once we file the chargesheet. The police are looking for other suspects,’’ Jaiswal said.

Some panel members had earlier said the ATS would be showing them evidence in the case. On this, criminal lawyer Majeed Memon, who is also the NCP general secretary, said Jaiswal had not shown any evidence. He said that Jaiswal had told the panel that the police had not made any wrong arrests.

The Times of India, November 14, 2006