India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI—Express serious concern over the incidents of violence, particularly sexual violence against Dalit women all across the country that has witnessed a sharp increase of late, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind(JIH) has urged the Central and state governments to show “zero tolerance” towards caste-based violence and atrocities on Dalits.
Quoting figures from the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), the Jamaat leaders said that over 46,000 crimes against SCs took places in 2019 (an increase of 7 per cent over 2018). And Uttar Pradesh recorded 11,829 cases followed by Rajasthan and Bihar. These 3 states make up nearly 55 per cent of the total cases.
Stating that the Dalit atrocities is a long unresolved problem in India and required both the society and state to contribute to solve it, Jamaat leaders, addressing mediapersons here on Saturday, said that it was strange that Dalits were still barred from entry into places of worship, drawing water from common facilities and discriminated regarding seating arrangements in schools and other institutions in rural areas despite the fact that the world had moved into the 21st century. Among those who addressed mediapersons included JIH President Saadatullah Hussaini, JIH Vice-President Engr Mohammed Salim and JIH media secretary Syed Tanveer Ahmed.
Urging social activists, religious leaders and political parties to take up social engineering projects to promote equality, universal brotherhood and human fraternity with a view to ending discrimination towards poorer sections of the society, the Jamaat leaders demanded setting up of fast track courts for crimes like rape and murder to provide swift justice to the accused in heinous crimes.
Responding to media questions on political parties promising to provide free of cost vaccines for Covid during the ongoing Bihar assembly elections, JIH President Saadatullah Hussaini said, “It was the responsibility of the state government to provide vaccines. The health and security of the people should be on priority list of the government. Such issues should not be politicised”.
He said, “Vaccines are yet not ready. It has yet not been made available in the country and yet, it is being used politically in Bihar assembly elections. Vaccine is required by the entire nation and it is the responsibility of the government to provide it to the people. But I can’t comprehend its use for political purposes in elections”.
On being asked about which party or the candidates the Jamaat would be extending its support to in Bihar polls, the Jamaat chief said, “JIH always extended its support to candidates and parties based on their principles and values. Jamaat will inform the media when it takes a decision regarding support to candidates or parties in the ongoing Bihar elections”.
Regarding questions on freedom of media in the country, the Jamaat chief said, “Media must be free but the government must make it to follow the regulations. It should be ensured that media do not use its right to free expression to create divisions in the society. The media should not be left unregulated”.
Speaking about Assam government’s decision to ban ‘madrasas’, the Jamaat President said, “It is not justified to ban ‘madrasas’. The ‘madrasas’ are involved in providing education and no one can justify closure of such institutions. We request the Assam government to review its decision because the decision of the state government is an obstruction to promotion of education in the state “.
Responding to questions on CAA, Mr. Hussain said, “CAA is anti-Constitutional. We want that the government to withdraw it. All the political parties should raise this issue forcefully. The political parties should challenge this unconstitutional law in the court and fulfil their responsibilities”.
JIH Vice-President Engr. Mohammed Salim, speaking on the Hathras Dalit women’s alleged rape and murder, “Hathras incident has revealed involvement of state institutions because police remained silent for 8 days in the alleged gangrape and murder issue and the body of the victim was burnt without consent of her family. The police also claimed that no gangrape took place”.
He said that the crimes increased in places where the accused found that the law and order was weak and felt that they could “manage” the system and go scotfree after commission of the crime”.
