New Delhi:
Taking a serious view of the alleged assault on three madrasa students here for not chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’, National Commission for Minorities (NCM) today asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to “immediately” submit a report on the incident. After a CPI(M) delegation called on him seeking his intervention in the case, NCM chairperson Naseem Ahmad sought a report from Delhi police chief Alok Kumar Verma on the case which the Left party termed “a hate crime motivated by hostility towards minorities”.
“A petition has been received today and we have called for an immediate report from Delhi Police Commissioner pertaining to the allegations,” said Ahmad. Police is expected to submit the report within a week, he said.
Saying the three students were “coerced to shout slogans like Mata ki Jai/Bharat Mata ki Jai”, CPI(M) alleged that such incidents were occurring due to the “atmosphere created by the leaders of the ruling party at the Centre at different levels”.
“However, the FIR copy given to the victim does not include any clause connected with communal violence. An effort is being made to whitewash this and reduce the crime to a personal dispute,” CPI(M) claims in the memorandum.
The delegation, led by CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat, accused Delhi government and the Centre of not taking note of this “serious” incident.
“This is a case which directly relates to an assault on minorities and, therefore, is within the mandate of the Minorities Commission. We request you to immediately intervene and take appropriate action,” the party said.
The CPI(M) delegation also sought “immediate” compensation for the students and told NCM that they belong to “very poor” families in Bihar and are in a state of fear after the assault.
“All three of them were badly beaten up and one of them, (Mohammad) Dilkash, suffered serious fractures,” it said.
Besides Karat, the memorandum was signed by CPI(M) Delhi State Secretariat member Nathu Prashad and the party’s Delhi State Committee member Ram Pal.
Dilkash has told police that the incident took place on March 26 when he was sitting in a park near their madrasa in Bhajanpura with two of his friends, Ajmal and Naeem.
Some five persons were sitting nearby consuming alcohol and it was an youth from this group who suddenly came to Dilkash and allegedly slapped him. The other group then threatened Dilkash and his friends saying “if they want to live, they must say Jai Mata Ki”.
Dilkash claimed he and his friends repeated the chant but were still beaten with bamboo sticks. Five youths were arrested yesterday in connection with the attack.
