Despite restrictions of the holy Ramzan Month, over a thousand Muslims including women joined the protest Dharna organized by Jan Sangharsh Manch, New Socialist Movement, Jamat-e-Islam, Aman Samuday, Jamate Ulema, Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Samiti, Aman Samuday and several other civil rights organizations to protest against the demand of Narendra Modi to enact Gujarat Control of Organized Crime Act – GUJCOC.
The protestors, which included hundreds of civil rights activists, were addressed by several eminent speakers like Shri Samsuddin Pirzada, a retired Sessions Court Judge, Shri Mahesh Bhatt, senior Advocate of Gujarat High Court, Noorjehan Diwan, Ibrahim Shaikh, Usmanbhai, Mufti Arsad, Mehrunissa Desai, Iqbal Mirza, Amrish Patel, and Dr. Mukul Sinha.
The speakers questioned the bonafide of the Gujarat Government in demanding GUJCOC since the government had a dubious record of (mis)using POTA against innocent Muslims.
Explaining various provisions of GUJCOC and comparing the same with POTA, Shri Samsuddin Shaikh, retired Sessions Court Judge, said that- " POTA has been misused and applied selectively against minority in Gujarat and that is why it has been repealed. Now the same law under new name of GUJCOC is sought to be brought for the very same purpose – to be used against minority. The police has miserably failed in collecting evidence against the accused of recent bomb blasts in Ahmedabad. Now the government wants GUJCOC so that the so called confession made by the accused before police can be made admissible in evidence before trial court. In other words, the government is trying to create evidence against the accused."
Quoting the judgement of the Allahabad High Court, Shri Mahesh Bhatt said that the Allahabad High Court has long back described the police as the organized gang of criminals to unleash terror on the innocent citizens. Crime and terrorism can never be controlled by the law. Despite existence of POTA, the attack on Parliament did take place in New Delhi and similarly Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar was attacked. POTA could not stop such attacks."
In his hard hitting words, Dr.Mukul Sinha said that Narendra Modi’s justification of asking for GUJCOC in relation to the trial of accused of the 26th July bomb blast was also hollow and misleading since even if the President gives assent to GUJCOC, then too the law would not be applicable to the 26th July bomb blast incident since no criminal law can be enforced retrospectively.
Ahmedabad
Date : 13-9-2008
Amrish Patel
Convener
Jan Sangharsh Manch
