Date:20/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/20/stories/2007092060231200.htm

National

Maharashtra agrees to CBI inquiry into riot case

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has agreed to let the CBI investigate the Hari Masjid firing in which six people were killed during the Mumbai riots of 1992-93.

The State is expected to file an affidavit to this effect on September 27 in the Bombay High Court, where a writ petition has been filed by Farooq Mapkar, one of those injured in the firing.

A delegation of non-governmental organisations met Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil to object to the “doublespeak” by the government as far as riot victims were concerned.

The delegation included Shakeel Ahmed of the Nirbhay Bano Andolan, Teesta Setalvad of Citizens for Justice and Peace, advocate Yusuf Muchchala and members of the Women’s Research and Action Group. It pointed out that after the government had committed to forming special courts and set up a committee to examine cases which could be transferred to those courts, it refused to file a case against policemen indicted by the Srikrishna Commission in the Hari Masjid incident.