18, Apr 2006

April 18, 2006

The non-bailable warrants have been issued against Mehboob Rasul Chauhan, Habib Rasul Saiyed,Sikander Abbas Shaikh, Kutubsha   Ayubsha Diwan and Gulam Ghani Kharadi who are victim survivors of the ghastly massacre that took place in March 2002. Citizen for Justice and Peace has also been targeted by the issuance of non-bailable warrant although there is no order directing the ‘accused’ to remain present in Court. This is nothing short of an attempt to browbeat victims who had keen searching in vain for the bodies of their lost ones. Application for remand to police custody have been made against all.

Despite the order of the High Court refusing to cancel the anticipatory bail order and permitting the ‘accused’ to apply for nail under section 439, the Gujarat police is not only using intimidatory tactics to browbeat victims of a massacre and representatives of organisations supporting the struggle for justice but in fact attempting to influence the investigation itself. In this entire matter, the Gujarat police is the chief culpable party being responsible for the undignified and hasty burials of victims of a mass crime. Today, despite the fact that the matter has been seized of in the Gujarat High Court, the Gujarat police functions with impunity and is trying to subvert the investigation to escape liability for the illegal and unauthorised burial of bodies of victims of a mass crime.