Police charged with 'harassing' minorities

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 4. The All India People's Resistance Forum (AIPRF) and a few other organisations including the A.P. Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) have charged the police with "harassing" the minorities of the Old City suspecting them of being "ISI agents".

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Messrs. G.N. Saibaba, General Secretary, AIPRF, K.V. Subrahmanyam, City President, APCLC and others alleged that the police were conducting searches and illegal arrests in the area without giving any reasons.

"People living in Old City are under the grip of fear especially during Independence Day, Republic Day and religious festivals like the Ganesh Chaturthi. It is like concentration camp," they said.

The organisations condemned the "undemocratic arrests" of the Students Islamic Movement of India's local chief, Mr. Athar Qureshi, general secretary, Mr. Yasir, and a religious leader, Moulana Mohd. Moulana Naseeruddin, by the police on the eve of the Ganesh immersion procession. They said the police were trying to implicate them in the activities of the two ISI agents - Abdul Aziz and Nissar - who were arrested recently.

They wanted to know if it was a crime to watch a news video cassette of the Babri Masjid demolition by the members of the Darsgah-E-Jihad-O-Shahdath or hold protests during the demolition anniversary. The SIMI leader, Quereshi, a BCA student, who was present, alleged that the Santoshnagar police picked him up at least 20 times and beat him up without any motive.

His brother, Mr. Akbar Qureshi, was taken to the police station and kept there for a couple of days when he went on a visit to Delhi for his organisation meet. "My family is being threatened constantly," he said.

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