Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

Riots politically motivated, says civil liberties panel

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD Dec. 10. The Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC), a conglomeration of civil liberties and Muslim organisations, has demanded that the Government immediately pay ex gratia to those affected during the communal violence in the old city. Action against police officers responsible for firing at the mobs, release of innocent persons arrested and punishment to the perpetrators are its other demands.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the CLMC general secretary, Lateef Mohd. Khan, the A.P. Civil Liberties Committee's Ratnamala, Darsgah Jehad-o-Shahadat's Mahabub Ali, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board secretary, Maulana Abdul Rahim Quereshi, and others felt that the violence had political undertones and could not be characterised as communal violence.

"It's the BJP-RSS-VHP combine which is responsible for the trouble in the old city.

They want to terrorise Muslims and reap dividends during the forthcoming Assembly elections by polarisation. There's a definite political motive behind the pre-planned incidents by Hindutva forces," they said.

The CLMC was especially critical of BJP leaders, including the Union Minister for Urban Development, Bandaru Dattatreya, and the former MLA, Baddam Bal Reddy, for their alleged provocative statements, actions and "creating tension". It claimed that the Kishanbagh incidents had no relation to the Babari Masjid demolition anniversary that was being observed on December 6.

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