SP welcomes proposal to form committee to review militant cases against Muslims

The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Friday welcomed Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan's suggestion to the Centre to form a high-power committee to monitor and review militant cases filed against Muslims with an aim to restrain people from misusing the power of arrest, saying it is a very good proposal and would ensure justice to those innocent.

"This is a very good proposal put forward by Rahman. Although we were demanding this for a very long time, but it is better late then never. We praise Khan for this. This is not a new thing in India. The opponents will surely say that we are soft on militancy, but we say that if any Muslim is involved in militancy then they be punished," said Samajwadi Party leader Kamal Farooqi.

"But on the other hand it is very wrong with the Muslims who are innocent and who have been forcefully charged with false cases," he added.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took potshots at the Congress-led UPA Government on the issue, and alleged that it makes false commitments ahead of the elections.

"Ahead of the elections, the government always makes several promises, including reservation, and sometimes says that those jailed will be set free. If the charges levelled on a person were false then why was he held accused?" asked BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The Minority Affairs Minister earlier in the day said that the committee was essential to ensure justice to innocent Muslim youths who were languishing in jails after being framed in militant cases.

Citing the example of UK, Khan said that there is a taskforce under Prime Minister David Cameron to nail several militant cases.

Khan also said that he would soon be writing to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on this issue.