Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order to the State Government to recover the compensation paid to the Muslim youths who were wrongly implicated in the Mecca Masjid blast case has come as such a big shock to the victims that some of them have started thinking of returning the money to the Government.
“We are naturally worried that police might again start harassing us in the name of court orders,” said Ibrahim Junaid, one of the 26 youths, who were illegally detained, tortured and then arrested by Hyderabad police following the blast in Mecca Masjid. “It is wrong to say that we were implicated or charged in Mecca Masjid blast case. We have nothing to do with the case. Those who committed that act of terror are in jail now. We were detained or arrested by the police after Mecca Masjid blast but we were booked in some other case charging us with possessing jehadi literature and criminal conspiracy,” said Junaid.
The writ petition filed by a BJP leader and lawyer Venkates Goud had challenged the payment of compensation to the people who were charged and acquitted in the Masjid blast case. “When we have nothing to do with Mecca Masjid blast case, this writ petition cannot be about us,” said Junaid.
The main worry of the victims and their families was about the harassment of the police which had stopped after the State Government had made the compensation on the recommendation on National Commission for Minorities in December 2011.Under this recommendation, the State Minorities Welfare Department had paid compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to 20 youth and Rs 20,000 each to 50 other youths. Similarly the police also issued them a certificate of good character clarifying that they were not involved in a criminal case.
More worried were those four youths whose compensation was withheld on the ground that their names figure in another case. One of them Mohammed Rayeesuddin was very disappointed. “My life could never recover since my arrest in 2007, brutal physical torture in secret cells and then imprisonment. As I could not find any job I am working with my brothers in a small electrical shop which can not take care of all of us. I had a great hope from this compensation amount. But now it looks I will never get it,” he said ruefully.
The general impression of the boys was that the State Government was not at all sincere in fighting this case and countering the writ petition. “I am not surprised that a BJP leader filed this case. But it was for the Congress Government to counter it effectively, they did not do it,” said Junaid. He and other victims were now talking to lawyers to explore the possibility of waging a legal fight against the HC orders. They were keenly waiting for the copy of the judgement.
They were also hoping that the National Minorities Commission will take up the case strongly in the Supreme Court. Human rights activist Major Syed Ghouse Mohiuddin Quadri, who had played a vital role in getting the compensation paid to the victims of police atrocities, said that he will also challenge the HC orders in Supreme Court. Major Quadri, who heads an NGO Help Hyderabad had raised the issue of these victims before the National Commission for Minorities Chairman Wajahat Habibullah leading to a set of recommendations to the State Government.
“I am already in touch with Wajahat Habibullah as well as senior Supreme Court lawyers to fight against this grave injustice”, he said.