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Main gate of the Hamidia Masjid
where the blast had taken place on September 08, 2006
(File Photo) |
“My life changed beyond imagination
after losing legs in the 2006 blast. I had to fight for every
small or big thing thereafter to say the least. All my sufferings,
however, are nothing in comparison with the trauma the innocent
youths in jail and their families are going through”, said
Dastageer Shaikh Ameer, one of the more than 300 victims of the
2006 Malegaon blast.
Dastageer sat for the 24-hour long hunger strike seeking release
of the Muslim youths arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blast case. The
protest - underway in Malegaon since April 25, 2011, moved into
50th day June 13 when Dastageer, with two other victims Anees
Ahmed and Abdul Qayyum, joined ‘the fight for justice’, as they
describe their struggle. Dastageer’s feelings are also endorsed by
the other victims and also by innumerable people in Malegaon. Like
a hard solid rock, they are firm in their belief about the
innocence of the Muslim youths and equally strong in their demand
for withdrawal of all charges against them.
More than 225 people including women and children have so far
participated in the 24-hour long hunger strike, which completed 75
days July 07. The protest received a shot in arm when Kul Jamaati
Tanzeem going beyond moral support too decided to take part in the
hunger strike. Formed after the 2006 blast, Kul Jamaati Tanzeem is
already running the ‘fight for justice’ ever since its inception.
Analysis of this campaign, kept alive since 2006-07 in one way or
the other, will not only expose the police high handedness and
prejudice towards the Muslims but will also throw light on how the
investigating agencies are given free hand to play with the
innocent lives and yet survive punishments.
Case background
September, 08 2006 was a Friday and thousands of people had
gathered at the Hamidia Masjid located inside the Malegaon
Qabristan. As the day had coincided with the Shab-e-barat, the
worshippers had outnumbered those at the regular Friday prayers.
The Imam had already finished the compulsory prayers and was
preparing for Dua when a powerful blast was heard just outside the
mosque in the veranda. Another followed a few metres away couple
of minutes later. Dozens of people fell dead on the spot and
hundreds were left with injuries. Before people could ascertain
what actually had happened, one more powerful blast was heard –
this time at Mushawerat Chowk, few hundred meters away from the
Hamidia Masjid. Dozen others were dead and hundreds were left
injured here as well. Some of those killed and injured at
Mushawerat Chowk were those who had survived the death trap at the
Hamidia Masjid.
Three blasts in a span of just few minutes had taken more than 32
lives and had left over 300 injured. Most of the dead and injured
were juveniles and some of them belonged to a single family. The
entire town was giving a grim look. Malegaon in its hundreds of
years history had seen many ups and down, and worst kind of
communal clashes and police brutality. But it had never
experienced such a terror on its soil before! Yet the Malegaonians
remained calm and composed, and tried successfully to recover from
the shock– totally unaware that a “more severe terror attack” this
time by the state is being scripted against them.
Flawed investigations
That the state investigating agencies would follow a pre-written
script to nail Muslim youths in the case became evident when
reports after reports suggesting the motives behind the terror attack
began appearing in corporate media. The initial versions of these
reports suggested the sectarian differences among the Muslims as
the reason for the blast. Soon the line was changed and the
October 2001 riot’s revenge theory started floating in the
newspapers. Muslim leaders met the ministers and everyone
concerned and unconcerned in the establishment, and demanded for a
transparent probe into the incident. However the state
investigating agencies remained adamant and did what they had in
their mind since the day of incident.
The first to be framed in the case was Nurulhuda Shamsuddoha – a
newly-married youth who was under continuous police surveillance
since the age of 16. Later on other youths were picked up one by
one and lodged in jail for the sin they had never committed.
Yes, for the crime they were not responsible of – the notion
easily shared by the Malegaonians with everyone.
Incidentally, the Malegaonians are not fully wrong in their
belief. To give credence to their belief - apart from a pile of
proofs to suggest the innocence of the Muslim youths, is the
charge sheet filed by the state investigating agencies itself.
For, one of the planters in the chargesheet is Mohd Zahid. He was
picked up from Phoolsawangi – a town about 600 kms to Malegaon and
about whom there is ample proof to establish that the poor chap
was not in Malegaon at the time of the incident. Yet the
investigation claimed him to be a planter! Ironically, they
charged him even after the affidavits claiming Zahid’s presence in
Phoolsawangi at the time of the incident appeared in all leading
newspapers.
The result of this flawed investigation was natural. The case was
handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in
December 2006 for a re-investigation.
Confused CBI
The CBI initially did not show any sign of deviation from the
state version which put the blame of the blast on the Muslim
youths. It, however, showed some sign of correction in its stand
when on November 16 in 2009 it admitted in the Bombay High Court
that it could not find any evidence to establish involvement of
the arrested Muslim youths in the case.
The CBI’s admission in the High Court made three years after it
had taken the investigation of the case in its hand revived
the hope of justice. But the CBI took a turnaround again. When it submitted its chargesheet, it had in it the same old story
which was earlier told by the state investigating agencies.
Blow after blow
During this tenure, damaging further the line taken by the
investigating agencies, the lone witness in the case Abrar Ahmed,
who was an approver, turned hostile. There was now
no reason left to keep the Muslim youths behind bar. But Muslims
as they are! Injustice against them prevailed and the government
did not show any indication of correcting itself.
When everything looked lost for the Muslim youths, the
investigation received a further blow. Aseemanand in his
confessional statement - made sometimes in December 2010 -
admitted his role in the 2006 Malegaon blast. Was there any reason
left after Aseemanand’s confession to still keep the Muslim youths
behind the bar, the entire Malegaon shouted in unison. But the
adamant government did not relent, little realising the fact that
the claims made by its investigating agencies, which have been
proven to be a mere fabrication, have already done enough damage
to the accused and their families.
Endless investigations
Strangely, on the basis of the Aseemanand’s confession, the Court
granted the CBI permission to re-investigate the case but declined
the accused bail on the same basis. Moreover, when the CBI after a
re-investigation done by a totally new team hinted of getting the
breakthrough while working on the line of the Aseemanand’s
confession, the case was transferred to the National Investigating
Agency (NIA).
While we write this, the NIA has already chargesheeted Aseemnanad
in Samjhauta Express blast but are tight-lipped about
Malegaon. They have not even arrested Aseemanand in the 2006
Malegaon blast case.
Testing Time
While the government continues to play politics with the Muslim
youths and their families, and many a time even provoked them by
unwarranted attitude, the Malegaonians reciprocated by maintaining
total calm, peace and dignity – something never expected from
them. In these five years they demonstrated in every possible way
and at many places in the state to raise their demand for justice.
They did all this with surprising frequency and spectacular
consistency. Yet they failed to move the government.
They met everyone in the country - right from Prime Minister Dr
Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister
P Chidambaram to the State Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan, his
predecessors Ashok Chavan and Vilasrao Deshmukh and the state Home
Minister RR Patil, not once, twice but innumerable times and
sought justice from them. Everyone ignored them and never tried to
realize the trauma of the Malegaonians which is bringing them to
their doors again and again. They remain blatantly ignorant even
though among those fighting for justice are the people who
themselves are the victims. Their being among the people seeking
release of the jailed Muslim youths is not something which can be
ignored easily. It shows their concern for the poor accused and
their families. And more strongly, it gives a clear message to the
government that though the pain caused to them by the “Hindutva
terror” has receded, the trauma of the “state terror”, which has
transformed the life of the jailed Muslim youths and their
families into a hell, has become unbearable. Ahead of the fifth
anniversary of the 2006 Malegaon blast, the Malegaonians are
raising the same old question again. How and when justice to these
Muslim youths would find a place in the government’s priority
list.
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