The Hindu : Impartial probe needed: NCM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 29, 2002

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Impartial probe needed: NCM

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 28. In view of recent reports of officers being transferred for attempting to prevent or contain violence in Gujarat following the Godhra incident, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) today urged the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to ensure an impartial enquiry by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to bring out the truth.

The request was made by the NCM chairperson, Mohammed Shamim, in a letter to Mr. Vajpayee. Welcoming the Prime Minister's decision to visit Ahmedabad, Mr. Justice Shamim said "this would give a major healing touch which Gujarat so badly needs''.

Theprimary purpose of the NCM chairperson's letter was to suggest some confidence-building measures that the Prime Minister could consider announcing during his visit to the State. Stressing that the restoration of normality "in every sense of the word — emotionally, socially and economically"— was the need of the hour, Mr. Justice Shamim urged the Prime Minister to announce a liberal grant from his Relief Fund to help the economy of the State in general and the victims of the violence in particular.

The NCM has demanded that equal compensation be paid to the kin of the deceased. Other demands of the NCM include rehabilitation packages for people living in camps across the State; employment generation; land to those who have lost their homes in the violence; and restoration of damaged religious places. The NCM has also stressed the need for restoring the confidence of the people in the administration.

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