'Justice for Qureshi' grows stronger in coast

In what appears to be the show of strength of a particular community converging for the cause of Ahmed Qureshi, the victim of alleged police atrocity, United Muslim Front has organised ‘Mangaluru Chalo’ at 3 pm on May 2 at Nehru Maidan.

Former mayor K Ashraf, convener of the front, said on Tuesday that the convention with the slogan ‘Justice for Qureshi’ will demand action against the City Crime Branch (CCB) police personnel whose atrocity in the name of interrogation has resulted in damage to the victim’s kidney. As many as 25,000 people from different parts of the state are expected to participate, with 60 various organisations extending their support.

Welcoming the decision of the government to hand over the probe into police atrocity on the said youth to CID, Ashraf however pooh-poohed the action of city police for not inviting any organisations for the meeting.

Quoting the recent media briefing of the police commissioner where the officer claimed to have apprised the District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai and other prominent elected representatives about the case, Ashraf said, “The organisations who have been voicing for justice for Qureshi were kept at bay, by not inviting them.”

No ailment
Muhammad Nishad, the elder brother of Qureshi said, “My brother was not suffering from any such ailment.” This was in reply to media queries over the details provided by former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on the basis of information provided by investigators that Qureshi had reportedly told the police about his kidney ailment.

Nishad denied that his brother had some habits that damaged his kidney to an extent, as told by the doctors at Government Wenlock Hospital.

Ashraf said, “It’s nothing new on the part of the police to coerce the people in arrest to lip sync their words.”

The case
City police took Ahmed Qureshi into custody in an assault case on Prakash Poojary reported in Surathkal police limits. Though taken into custody on March 21, he was produced before the court only after few days. Till then the police had allegedly quizzed him in ‘harshest’ manner, resulting in the damage to his kidney, as alleged by various organisations including PFI.

No faith in district minister: Ex-mayor
Former mayor K Ashraf said the Minister for Forest, and Ecology and Environment and District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai is creating a rift among the Muslim youth.

Saying it loud and clear that they do not have faith in the minister for not siding with their just cause, Ashraf sought to draw an analogy between the current Congress-led dispensation and BJP government in the past.

When the BJP government was in power in the state, an FIR was lodged by the police against RSS functionary Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for making a provocative statement. However, the current government is not taking any such audacious steps.