Hyderabad: Terming the government’s ‘confidence building measures’ inadequate, civil society members are questioning the policy on compensating the Muslim youth who were illegally detained in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case of 2007.
The government had announced through GO Rt no. 4268 dated Dec. 6 that it would be releasing compensation of Rs 70 lakh to 70 persons who were detained by the police in the wake of the blast. Of the total amount, Rs 3 lakhs each would be given to the 20 persons who were acquitted by court. The remaining 50 youngsters, who were interrogated but against whom cases were not registered, would receive Rs 20,000 each. The government’s move comes six months after the recommendations made by National Commission for Minorities (NCM), which also asked the state to investigate the role of police officers in the wrongful implication of the youth and consider compensating them from the guilty officers’ emoluments.
Civil society activists allege that the government has not considered these recommendations of NCM. SGM Quadri, President Help Hyderabad, an NGO, that followed up the cause of the wronged youth, pointed out that the government’s move does not instill any ‘confidence’ as touted by the government. “How can the distressed youth build confidence with a meager compensation of Rs 20,000?” he asked. He also questioned why only 50 youths have been compensated when the police had earlier admitted to picking up 78 youngsters without registering cases. “It is not clear how the government has selected the victims. It is also not clear why the remaining have not been compensated,” said Quadri.
L M Khan, of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee, said that the delay in taking action on the recommendations of NCM, does not help in confidence building. “The government has not moved against the erring officers despite the NCM recommending action against them” he said.
Activists also say that there is lack of clarity over the disbursement of the funds. The government order mentions that the funds for compensation are to be disbursed from the administration account of Mecca Masjid and Public Gardens Mosque, which has had the activists up in arms. But the government order makes it clear that the funding for compensation comes from non-plan allocations, independent of Mecca Masjid’s finances.
The government had announced through GO Rt no. 4268 dated Dec. 6 that it would be releasing compensation of Rs 70 lakh to 70 persons who were detained by the police in the wake of the blast. Of the total amount, Rs 3 lakhs each would be given to the 20 persons who were acquitted by court. The remaining 50 youngsters, who were interrogated but against whom cases were not registered, would receive Rs 20,000 each. The government’s move comes six months after the recommendations made by National Commission for Minorities (NCM), which also asked the state to investigate the role of police officers in the wrongful implication of the youth and consider compensating them from the guilty officers’ emoluments.
Civil society activists allege that the government has not considered these recommendations of NCM. SGM Quadri, President Help Hyderabad, an NGO, that followed up the cause of the wronged youth, pointed out that the government’s move does not instill any ‘confidence’ as touted by the government. “How can the distressed youth build confidence with a meager compensation of Rs 20,000?” he asked. He also questioned why only 50 youths have been compensated when the police had earlier admitted to picking up 78 youngsters without registering cases. “It is not clear how the government has selected the victims. It is also not clear why the remaining have not been compensated,” said Quadri.
L M Khan, of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee, said that the delay in taking action on the recommendations of NCM, does not help in confidence building. “The government has not moved against the erring officers despite the NCM recommending action against them” he said.
Activists also say that there is lack of clarity over the disbursement of the funds. The government order mentions that the funds for compensation are to be disbursed from the administration account of Mecca Masjid and Public Gardens Mosque, which has had the activists up in arms. But the government order makes it clear that the funding for compensation comes from non-plan allocations, independent of Mecca Masjid’s finances.
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