Muslim families allege custodial torture of Bhopal jail inmates, approach NHRC

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Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, May 25: Traumatized by the alleged torture of 21 Muslim prisoners inside the Bhopal central jail, family members of some of them on Wednesday visited the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking its intervention and a fair probe.

The relatives of 21 men, mostly in 30s, imprisoned in the Bhopal jail for last three and half years, have alleged that the prisoners have been tortured and harassed after the Bhopal encounter of last October. They have also accused the jail authorities of doing religious discrimination with the prisoners.

“My husband is in the central jail for last three and half years. After the Bhopal encounter, he has been tortured and harassed. He is not allowed to offer prayer and read Quran nor to sleep properly,” Najma, wife of Mohd. Zubair (one of the prisoners), told IndiaTomorrow.net outside the NHRC headquarters here.

“Clothes are also not given to him. Only one bottle water (20L) is given to drink and take bath. Only 5 minutes are given to meet us, in which we are not allowed to talk freely as ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) personnel are around us,” said she who had come with their five-year-old son.

On 31st October 2016, eight under-trial prisoners who were said to be members of banned SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) outfit were killed by Bhopal Police in an ‘encounter’. All these 21 prisoners are also under-trial facing charges of being members of SIMI.

Najma was among nine persons – four of them wives – from eight families of the prisoners that met NHRC.

Shama Parveen, wife of prisoner Mohd. Javed said: “After the encounter case, the situation has become worse. My husband is given very minimal diet sot that he can just remain alive. He is kept in a 4×6 feet cell for 24 hours. He is not taken out from the cell.”

Some other relatives of the prisoners also made similar allegations.

“My nephew is in jail since 31st December 2013. On 30th December police took him and said that he would be back after 2 hours. Since then he has not come back. Since the Bhopal encounter happened, he has not been allowed to sleep and food is also not being provided properly. He is asked to chant anti-Islam slogans,” alleged Mushtaq Ahmad, uncle of Mohd. Adil.

“We are tensed since Abu Fazal and Iqrar Sheikh (two prisoners) stated to the court that they have been beaten up regularly. The leg of one of them has been fractured. Now when the court is not listening, we hope that at least NHRC will hear us,” he said.

All these relatives met NHRC member Justice D. Murugesan along with some civil rights activists Wednesday afternoon. The family members and activists said that the NHRC has assured them that it will look into the matter as the earliest.

While speaking to IndiaTomorrow.net, Kavita Srivastava, Rajasthan president of PUCL (Peoples Union for Civil Liberties) said that Justice Murugesan has assured them of immediate action.

“The 21 prisoners have been reporting of being tortured, drugged and not being given water. Actually we are left with no agency but the NHRC. Justice Murugesan was very positive and agreed that the allegations of torture, keeping prisoners in isolated cells and no medical examination are serious. We have urged NHRC to send a team there and we hope it will take some immediate action,” said Srivastava.

Madhuri Krishnaswami, a PUCL member said that on 26th April this year, the first complaint of torture was made, after which the complainant was badly beaten up inside jail.

“It is possible that these 21 prisoners might have some information as to what happened on the night and following morning when those 8 prisoners were killed in Bhopal encounter. And that may be a reason behind this torture and harassment,” alleged Madhuri.

“Now all families of the prisoners are afraid. Even their lawyers are not allowed to meet prisoners. So there is an urgent need for NHRC to intervene and find out what is happening there; arrange for independent medical examination of all 21 prisoners and take their testimonies,” she demanded.

Ansar Indori, member of NCHRO (National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations) who also accompanied prisoners’ families to NHRC said: “The families wrote to the State Human Rights Commission, Chief Minister and Governor but no action has been taken yet. Now the situation has become so worse that these families had to move NHRC. We hope NHRC will take some action in this regard.”

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