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Saturday, Aug 18, 2007
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Demand for dismissal of policemen indicted by Srikrishna panel

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: Many civil liberties groups and activists in the city have expressed scepticism about the implementation of the Srikrishna Commission report on the Mumbai riots of 1992-93 as the same promises were made by the Congress Government in 2000.

About 15 organisations at a public meeting on Friday made a forceful demand for the State to act immediately by dismissing the policemen indicted by the Commission and entrusting the cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

This would be the first step to instil confidence in the Muslim community, said Shakeel Ahmed of the Nirbhay Bano Andolan.

He said the policemen should be charged with criminal offences for their actions and also for registering false cases against people after the riots.

The Congress, in its election manifesto in 1999, had said that it would implement the report of the Commission. Recently, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said that the report would be implemented. However, Mr. Ahmed points out that the same assurances were made in 2000 by both Ms. Gandhi and Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was the Chief Minister then too.

“All our posters and pamphlets are old, our demands are old and over the years, nothing has changed,” said Mr. Ahmed.

All cases closed by the Government and listed as “A” summary cases (true but undetected) should be reopened and the cases under 25 of the worst-affected police stations should be opened, he said.

A senior police official should then investigate the “A” summary cases with the help of the documents and affidavits of witnesses, who deposed before the Commission.

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