IAMC Letter on Forbesganj Police Massacre
Dear Shri Manmohan Singh,
It is with immense sadness, as well as hope, that I am writing to you on behalf of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos.
As you may be aware, the shocking incident of police brutality in Forbesganj, Bihar, on June 3, 2011 claimed the lives of six innocent villagers, including two women and an infant. The fact that police chased peaceful protestors all the way into their homes and killed them, and did not spare even a six-month old baby and a pregnant woman, has been condemned by human rights groups across the nation and the world. What is even more unconscionable is the apathy shown by the state administration, to an incident that raises dubious questions about the infiltration of radical sectarian ideologies in the police force. Although a judicial probe has been announced, the police officers involved in the brutality have not been suspended, and no compensation has been announced for the victims of this merciless killing.
Undoubtedly, maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the state government. However, this incident, in which innocent citizens were gunned down by those entrusted with upholding the rule of law, and the state government’s subsequent indifference towards the victims, cries out for a response from the central government.
On behalf of millions of Muslims and all people of conscience, the Indian American Muslim Council demands the following:
1. That your office, as well as the Home Ministry, issue a clear condemnation of the incident.
2. That the Central Government recommend a CBI inquiry to the Bihar State Government in place of the judicial probe recently announced, in order to ensure its independence and impartiality.
3. That you, as Prime Minister, visit Forbesganj, Bihar. This would send a clear message that the Central Government is taking a serious view of this atrocity against the most vulnerable section of society.
The incident in Bihar is unfortunately part of a pattern of discriminatory and vicious treatment of the minorities by the police and paramilitary that follows whenever the state government is in the hands of people with sectarian and divisive agendas.
While our nation has made commendable progress in the economic sphere, it is clear that a significant portion of the population is still vulnerable to less than humane treatment, and the basic right to life cannot be taken for granted. Inaction by the Central Government at this stage is almost certain to guarantee repetition of such incidents, and bring further disrepute to India and its record of pluralism and secularism.
We urge you to use the mandate given to you by the Constitution and the people of India, to protect the rule of law. Justice delayed is justice denied, and the oppressed in Bihar are crying out for justice.
Indian American Muslim Council (formerly Indian Muslim Council-USA) is the largest advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the United States with 10 chapters across the nation. For more information please visit our new website at www.iamc.com.
Sincerely,
Shaheen Khateeb
(President, IAMC)
