IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – February 22nd, 2010

by iamcadmin on February 21, 2010

In this issue

Announcements

News Headlines

Opinions & Editorials

Book Review

Announcements

Indian American Muslims demand transparent investigation of the murder of Advocate Shahid Azmi

Washington D.C.,
February 16, 2010

IMC-USA, an advocacy group dedicated towards safeguarding
India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos was extremely shocked and
disheartened to hear that well-known Mumbai based advocate Shahid Azmi
was gunned down in broad daylight on February 11 in his office in
Taximen’s Colony, Mumbai. Mr. Azmi was defense counsel to numerous
Muslim youth who were arrested and detained in cases such as the 2006
Malegaon case in Maharashtra. Reportedly the assailants pretended to be
his clients. It is also reported that Mr. Azmi had approached the
police about threats to his life; however he was not given security by
the government. In his very young but impactful career, Mr. Azmi became
the outspoken voice for downtrodden and defenseless youth.

Dr.
Hyder Khan, National Vice President and spokesperson for IMC-USA said,
"All injustice, particularly murders are injurious to the functioning
of a civil society. The democratic system is weakened when government
fails to protect the life and liberties of its citizens."

He
further added, "Indians owe a great debt of gratitude to brave citizens
like Shahid Azmi who are the conscience keepers of the Indian
democracy. They risk their safety to take up such cases, to uphold the
constitution of India that promises and guarantees justice to the most
vulnerable."

IMC strongly feels that the murder of Shahid Azmi is not a murder of
an individual only, but rather a brazen effort to intimidate and
ultimately obliterate the idea of justice and silence the voice of the
Indian conscience. IMC strongly urges the central government of India
to conduct an independent and transparent investigation and bring the
murderers of Mr. Azmi to justice. The Indian Judicial system and legal
experts are the ultimate defense of the Indian Constitution for which
many have sacrificed their lives and serve as the core of a civil and
secular Indian state.

Contact:

Dr. Hyder Khan
Phone/fax: 1-800-839-7270
Email: media@imc-usa.org

Links::

City lawyers mourn death of colleague
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/City-lawyers-mourn-death-of-colleague/articleshow/5567324.cms

Adv Shahid Azmi shot dead in Mumbai
http://www.twocircles.net/2010feb11/adv_shahid_azmi_shot_dead_mumbai.html

In Shahid Azmi’s death community lost a brilliant lawyer: CLMC
http://www.twocircles.net/2010feb13/shahid_azmi_s_death_community_lost_brilliant_lawyer_clmc.html

Adv Shahid Azmi had received threats, yet not given any security
http://www.twocircles.net/2010feb12/adv_shahid_azmi_had_received_threats_yet_not_given_any_security.html

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News Headlines

Godhra eyewitness goes missing, wife says police filed report a day later (Feb 19, 2010, Indian Express)

An eyewitness to the Sabarmati Express carnage of 2002, Illyas
Hussain Mullah, has been reported missing by the Godhra police from
their protection. The police, apparently, reported it a day after his
wife faxed a message in this regard to the designated fast-track court
in the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad where in-camera trial of the
case is going on. Illyas was supposed to depose before the Supreme
Court-appointed SIT today. The Godhra police in its complaint dated
February 18 at the B Division Police Station have stated that Illyas
went missing from their protection at the Godhra circuit house on the
afternoon of February 17. The fax message sent by Illyas’ wife, Tahira
Bibi, dated February 17 stated that he went missing after attending the
court at the Sabarmati jail on February 16.

According to the
complaint lodged by the Godhra police on Thursday morning, Illyas was
under their protection as he was to depose again in the court on
February 18. Illyas, along with his friend Anwar Kalandar, had left for
Ahmedabad on February 15 for their deposition as eyewitnesses on
February 16. While he collected the court summons in the jail, his
deposition was deferred to February 18. Assistant Sub-Inspector Ranchod
Soma Baria of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a missing
complaint in the morning at the Godhra ‘B’ division police station.
"Two policemen were with him. One had gone to fetch water while the
other had gone to bring food when Illyas escaped on February 17
afternoon," said Sub-Inspector K S Chaudhary.

Meanwhile,
Panchmahals Superintendent of Police J R Mothaliya said they have
launched a manhunt for Illyas. "We have the entry proof of my husband
and Anwar at the Sabarmati Central Jail on February 16," said Tahira.
She further said while the court was examining Anwar, Illyas was asked
to wait for his turn. Chaudhary, however, said he had no idea about any
application made by Tahira to the designated court.

Mullah had
in an earlier affidavit stated that he was forced by the Godhra police
to turn into an eyewitness for the train carnage or he would be named
as one of the accused. He had submitted this affidavit while deposing
before the Nanavati and Banerjee commissions. Tahira said the family
spoke to him last on February 16. "When some lawyers inquired about
him, we realised that he was not in Ahmedabad. And now today the Godhra
police filed a missing complaint. We had no idea that he was in the
circuit house at all," said Tahira.

Interestingly, Illyas went
missing a day after another eyewitness Dilip Dasadia, a BJP District
Committee Secretary, turned hostile in the court. Illyas, who worked as
an auto driver in 2002, was reportedly present at the Godhra railway
station platform waiting for passengers on February 28, 2002.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/581677/

SEE ALSO:

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Blast accused files petition for reopening post-2002 cases (Feb 19, 2010, Rediff)

A bomb blast accused has filed a petition in the Bombay high court
seeking appointment of a high-powered committee to re-investigate all
the post-2002 blast cases in the country and granting bail to the
accused who are languishing in jail for more than six years. Saquib
Nachan, arrested in April 2003 for his alleged role in a local train
blast at Mulund station that killed ten persons, has urged the court to
restrain the National Security Advisor from allegedly indulging in
Islam and Jihad bashing.

The petitioner, who has been in jail
since last seven years, has also pleaded for release of all Muslim
youths languishing in jails on terror charges without trial. He alleged
that many of them were being falsely implicated. Nachan has named
Congress president Sonia Gandhi Union Home minister P Chidambaram and
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan as respondents, saying they
were at the helm of affairs and were ruling the country.

Justice
Ranjana Desai and Justice Mrudula Bhatkar ordered appointment of an
advocate from the legal aid panel to represent the petitioner who has
been kept in Thane prison. Nachan demanded setting up of a National
Accountability Bureau for holding officers accountable for letting
culprits in blast cases go scot free allegedly for communal reasons and
pushing the country to the brink of civil war. He also sought a ban on
Abhinav Bharat, floated by Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Prasad
Purohit, under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/feb/19/reopen-post-2002-blast-cases.htm

SEE ALSO:

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Azmi murder: Family blames Mumbai cops (Feb 15, 2010, Times of India)

Slain advocate Shahid Azmi’s family has held Mumbai police
responsible for his killing, even as cops are yet to make a
breakthrough in his murder. "In 2007, my brother had got threatening
calls and in 2008 he had again reminded police that somebody was
following him. Our only contention is that why did the police remove
his security cover?," asked his brother.

The family alleged
role of some central agency as Azmi was instrumental in fighting many
terror-related cases including defending 26/11 accused Fahim Ansari. He
was representing Ansari accused of supplying target maps to LeT
operatives in Pakistan. "My brother had told us once that he knew the
consequences he would have to face because he was fighting against the
system which had falsely implicated innocent persons in the blast
cases," said Azmi’s elder brother.

"Otherwise, tell me what is
the reason for killing a criminal lawyer who has in many cases fought
freely for the poor. In fact, one of the callers who had threatened him
in 2008, expressed his surprise that he stayed in a middle-class
housing society," said Azmi’s younger brother.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5574473.cms

SEE ALSO:

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Hunt on for Pune bomber, but very few clues yet (Feb 14, 2010, IBN)

Investigators in the Pune bomb blast are looking for a person who
was carrying a haversack and walked into a bakery unnoticed and planted
what appears to be a concoction of RDX and ammonium nitrate. The blast
at the popular German Bakery killed nine people, injured 60 and
shattered the 15-month lull after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in
November 2008. The Maharashtra police are cautious about fixing blame
for the blast. "Investigation is on. With the assistance of National
Investigation Agency, the state’s Anti-Terrorism Squad is probing the
case and it is moving in the right direction," said Rashmi Shukla,
Inspector General, Law and Order.

Union Home Minister P
Chidambaram, who visited Pune on Sunday, denied intelligence agencies
had failed to warn of a terrorist attack. He said police had been
sensitised about Osho Ashram and the Jewish Chabad House both of which
are located near the bakery. "So, this area is on the radar of
terrorists. There is no intelligence failure, but please remember this
is not an overt attack by gunmen. This an insidious bomb that had been
planted in what appears to be a backpack," said Chidambaram. He said it
appears that a "person or more persons pretending as customers seem to
have come to the German bakery and one of them might have left a
backpack under a table" in the bakery.

The people behind the
blast have not been established yet but Union Home Ministry sources
tell CNN-IBN that investigators are relying on possible video evidence
from a CCTV in a hotel situated opposite the German Bakery to see if
anything suspicious was captured by the camera. Three cities have now
been put on high alert after the blast in Pune: Indore, a hotbed of the
banned Students

Related posts:

  1. IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – February 15th, 2010
  2. IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – February 8th, 2010
  3. IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – February 1st, 2010
  4. IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – March 22nd, 2010
  5. IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – November 22nd, 2010

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