101 Ex-bureaucrats write to Chief Ministers over ‘harassment’ of Muslims

How it can be assumed that these bureaucrats do not know about the incidents such s murders of Sadhus in Palghar, attacks by Tablighi members on doctors and nurses, attacks on the Police carried out from mosques, etc. ? Why do they not write the Chief Ministers about this ? This goes to show the true mentality of these former bureaucrats.

The Indian bureaucracy was replete with such officers who used to appease the minorities. It can be imagined how the governance under such bureaucrats was going on in the country.

New Delhi – As many as 101 former bureaucrats have written to the Chief Ministers of States expressing anguish over the “harassment” of Muslims in some parts of the country.

They termed as “misguided and condemnable” the action of Tablighi Jamaat in organising a meeting in Delhi but mentioned the “utterly irresponsible and reprehensible” action of a section of media in fuelling hostility towards the Muslims.

These 101 former civil servants belong to the all-India and central services, from all over India and said they “do not subscribe to any particular political ideology but rather focus on issues that have a bearing upon the Indian Constitution”. These bureaucrats include former cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, former IPS officers AS Dulat and Julio Ribeiro, former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, former Lt Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung and former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi.

“It is with much anguish that we bring to your attention reports of harassment of Muslims in some parts of the country, particularly following the meeting of the Tablighi Jamaat in March in the Nizamuddin area of New Delhi”, the letter said. The Jamaat was criticised for ignoring the principle of social distancing when cases of COVID-19 had started emerging in the country, it said. Although this was hardly the only incident of such gatherings, both political and religious, sections of the media hastened to give a communal colour to COVID-19, including attributing motives to the Tablighi Jamaat in spreading the virus to different parts of the country, the letter said.

“More disturbingly, reports of discrimination are also coming in from various places about Muslims being turned away from hospitals and health facilities,” the letter said. “In addition, there are reports of the special entitlements of rations and cash, that Governments have sanctioned at this time, being denied to Muslim families,” the former civil servants claimed.

“We call upon you to reassure all the people in your state that by following the instructions for social distancing and the practices regarding using face covering and hand washing, they can keep safe from COVID-19. It needs to be emphasized that there is no truth whatsoever in the rumours that any particular group has more infections than others in our country,” they said in the letter, accessed by news agency Press Trust of India. (The statistics issued by the Government states that the spread of coronavirus took place due to Tablighi Jamaat. Why do these former bureaucrats not say a word about this ? – Editor)

The former bureaucrats said some Muslim nations with whom India has traditionally maintained good relations have expressed serious concerns about the recent development in the country. “Millions of our fellow citizens live and work in these countries. There has been serious concern expressed in these countries about the recent developments. We should ensure, through our non-discriminatory action and relief measures, that the minorities have nothing to fear in India. This will help assuage the misgivings of these countries and avoid any consequential detriment to the prospects of the sizable Indian diaspora there,” the letter said. (Several other remedial measures can be implemented to safeguard the Indians in foreign countries and ensure that injustice is not done to them. However, for this purpose, there is no need to sweep the misdeeds of minorities under carpet. – Editor)

The former civil servants requested the Chief Ministers to instruct all public functionaries to be particularly vigilant to prevent a social boycott of any community in the State and to ensure that all the entitlements including medical and hospital care, rations and financial assistance are available equally to all those in need.