By Team Clarion
DHULE — Thirteen years after communal violence shook Dhule in Maharashtra, families of Muslim victims say justice remains out of reach as the Chandiwal Commission report continues to lie unpublished with the Maharashtra government.
The riots began on January 6, 2013, after a small dispute over a hotel bill in the Fish Market area turned violent. Six Muslim youths were killed in police firing, and several others were left disabled. A judicial commission was set up to investigate the violence and the role of the police.
The Chandiwal Commission completed its work within three years and submitted a detailed report to the government, based on statements of victims and eyewitnesses. Even today, the report has not been made public.
Every year on January 6, residents of Dhule gather outside the district collector’s office to demand the report. This year was no different.
Advocate Ashfaq Sheikh, lawyer for Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (Arshad Madani faction), which is fighting the case for riot victims, said legal action has remained stuck only because the report is hidden.
“Cases were filed against policemen responsible for the riots, and the matter reached the high court,” he told Clarion India. “The high court clearly said action would be taken only after the commission report is made public. Since the report is not out, no action has been possible till now.”
He added, “Until the report comes, responsibility for the riots cannot be fixed.”
Mushtaq Sufi, a member of Jamiat’s legal committee, also expressed pain over the long delay. Speaking to Clarion India, he admitted that follow-up slowed after the death of Gulzar Azmi, former state head of the Jamiat legal committee.
“For the last two years, victims have not been in regular contact with us. Because of this, work lost pace,” Sufi said. He asked a direct question to the authorities: “Why is the government not releasing the report? Is it to stop the high court’s order or to save the policemen?”
Families who lost their children say they have been forced to live with silence and denial.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.
