Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (EP)

Mangaluru, Apr 6: A day after activists of Popular Front of India (PFI) staged a stong protest against alleged harassment of Ahmed Qureshi in police custody and were caned by the police, leaders and members of the district unit of minority cell of the Congress held a meeting to condemn police action, and issued a deadline of 15 days to the cops to take action in the matter.

The meeting was held at Zeenath Baksh auditorium, Bunder here. Scores of Congress workers and leaders, including corporators, taluk panchayat and gram panchayat members were present in the meeting.

Addressing the gathering, former city mayor, Ashraf, said, "compensation should be disbursed to Ahmed Qureshi who has lost his kidney due to police torture. The entire cost of his treatment should be borne by the police. The police personnel who tortured him should be suspended from service. The present city crime branch (CCB) team should be reconstituted by replacing the current team with a new one. City police commissioner, Chandra Sekhar, who was responsible for this incident, should be transferred immediately. Our demands should be met within the next 15 days. If not, another meeting will be called to discuss and finalize further action.".

"Police officials and staff in the present CCB are in service for the last ten to fifteen years and they have failed to deliver justice. Therefore the team should be dissolved and new members should brought in their place," he demanded.

"Atrocities against minorities have been on the rise in the district for the last several years. The rights of minorities are not being recognized. Requests for justice are responded in the form of atrocities. There is no backing out if the demands are not fulfilled," he said.

Argument between members

When a member asked if the district in charge minister did not know about lathi charge on protesters, another member asked him to desist from speaking about political leaders. The member responded that he did not criticize anybody but only put forth the facts.

B Ibrahim speaking on the occasion said that the meeting is called to discuss atrocities on minorities and obtain the opinion of minorities. "Why we shouldn’t draw the attention of the government when our government is in power?," he asked.

Former MP B Ibrahim, former MLA KSM Masood, district youth Congress secretary Suhail Kandak, district youth Congress vice president Lukman Bantwal, taluk panchayat member Samad, Congress leader Mustafa Kempi, Ahmed Bajal and others were present.