By Muslim Mirror News,
Lucknow, July 17: General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Mr. Prakash Karat visited Rihai Manch’s dharna site here on Monday and lend his support to Manch’s demand for immediate CBI probe into the custodial death of Jaunpur youth Khalid Mujahid. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had announced CBI probe on 19th May but even two months later, the probe has not yet started.
Addressing the gathering, CPM leader said Khalid Mujahid was killed in police custody, so it should be immediately probed by Central Bureau of Investigation to bring the culprits to book.
He was addressing the dharna on 55th day. Rihai Manch started the indefinite dharna on 20th May, two days after the custodial death of Khalid Mujahid. The civil group has demanded immediate suspension and arrest of the police officers made accused in the FIR filed by Mujahid’s family, immediate initiation of the announced CBI probe into the death and action on the recommendations of the RD Nimesh Commission. The panel set up by the previous Mayawati government had last year declared Mujahid’s arrest in December 2007 as fake and illegal and recommended action against the guilty police officers.
Khalid Mujahid was a resident of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. He was picked in Dec. 2007 for the court blasts in November same year in the state. The government appointed commission RD Nimesh Commission had enquired into his arrest and found it as illegal and fake. Following the report, the family and human rights activists demanded release of Khalid Mujahid. In last two weeks, the state government had given indication of his release. But on 18th May he died in mysterious circumstances in police van when he was being brought from Faizabad court to Lucknow jail.
Prakasth Karat further said that innocent Muslims have been arrested in different parts of the country in terror cases and many innocents are still in jail today, some have come out clean after 14 years in jail. He said the police officers who implicated these innocents have not yet been prosecuted.
The CPM leader said officers of IB, ATS and other security agencies are working without any check and balance. They are targeting common people and we have evidence of that. In this dangerious situation it is necessary to make these agencies responsible to the Parliament, they cannot be left to the Home Ministry.