Drop Muslim Youth Cases: Owaisi

The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslim (MIM) floor leader in the state Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi on Friday targeted the government for its unwillingness to lift police cases foisted on Muslim youth in the aftermath of the communal riots which rocked the city in March, and also on those accused of complicity in the Mecca Masjid blast cases.

The MIM leader pointed out that initially the needle of suspicion was pointed at some Muslim terror organisations for the Mecca Masjid blast, but evidence unearthed later on had revealed the hand of a Hindu terror outfit for the blast. He reminded that there have been some arrests in the case, but that the cases against the Muslim youth have not been lifted.

Owaisi said that as many as 410 criminal cases have been filed against 150 students in connection with the communal riots, and that about Rs. 42 lakh have been deposited as bail.

Replying to Owaisi's protest, Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy said that the cases were foisted since widespread demonstrations continued to rock the state even after the Centre had set up the Justice B N Srikrishna Commission. She said that some logistical problems had forced the government to delay the lifting of the cases.

Owaisi said that Reddy's reply did not refer to his main demand that the government lift cases against Muslim youth accused of being involved in communal riots on the same lines of the agitators in the separate statehood issue.

Courtesy: INN