Muslim leaders ask CM tough questions

MUMBAI: Faced with a barrage of questions from Muslim intellectuals and leaders, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday admitted he had received complaints of "atrocities" against Muslims "by the police".
The chief minister met the representatives as part of an interaction organized by the Congress’ minority wing in the run-up to the civic elections. Other Congressmen who attended the interaction included union ministers Milind Deora and Bharatsingh Solanki, All India Congress Committee secretary Siddharth Patel, state minorities affairs minister Arif Naseem Khan and city Congress chief Kripashankar Singh.
While Chavan and other Congressmen sought support from the community, its representatives demanded answers to "pending issues".
Of the many subjects raised by Muslim intellectuals and leaders, the principal complaint was the "unfair handling (of cases) and alleged atrocities by the home department".
One scholar said that "innocent youngsters (from the community) continue to be targeted by the police". They are being "unfairly picked up in terror-related cases," he said. Lawyer Mubin Solkar echoed the grievance.
Another scholar, Gulzar Azmi, objected to the police manual proscribing a cop from sporting a beard at work. He cited cases in Nashik and Amravati where Muslim policemen were inconvenienced by the norm.
While claiming that the state government had taken up some major decisions for the community’s welfare, minorities affairs minister Arif Naseem Khan pointed out "constraints on account of coalition politics". The home portfolio is controlled by Congress ally Nationalist Congress Party.
Chavan chose not to blame the "coalition" but he did admit to receiving complaints regarding "atrocities" on Muslims by the police. The chief minister urged the community to vote in numbers to defeat "communal forces". He agreed to another round of meeting with community leaders to look into various issues.
Other issues raised at the meeting were related to the allotment of land to minority educational institutions, appointment of Aukaf board chairperson and time-bound implementation of various developmental issues.