*http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090116/jsp/frontpage/story_10398032.jsp* *250 young victims of terror taint close ranks* CITHARA PAUL
*New Delhi, Jan. 15:* Some 250 young Muslims who lost their jobs and careers after being wrongly held as terror suspects have united to seek answers from the government and punishment for police. Backed by two Muslim organisations, these "tainted" youths will hold a rally here on January 29 demanding the government rehabilitate them with jobs or fund their studies. "I lost my career and my life just because I was arrested on suspicion. I was sacked from my job the next day. Now I've been set free, but where will I go? How will I survive? The government must give an answer," said a young man who worked as a software engineer in Bangalore. "What about the pain my family suffered? Somebody should be made answerable." He requested he not be named to avoid more harassment. The rally will showcase similarly stigmatised young men, mostly in their 20s, from places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Azamgarh. Most have been acquitted, and the rest freed on bail, after months of detention and interrogation — even alleged torture. Talha Amir was picked up from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, by the Maharashtra anti-terrorist squad last month on suspicion of being a conduit between the Indian Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Toiba. He was also accused of involvement in the Delhi blasts and the Mumbai attacks. When he got bail two weeks later, after the police failed to find any evidence against him, he had lost his IT job in Hyderabad. The Uttar Pradesh Ulema Council and the Muslim Political Council will support the rally, where the young men may form their own organisation. "We see these boys as national heroes. They suffered atrocities at the government's hands but did not take up arms," said Dr T.A. Rehmani of the Muslim Political Council. "The government should give them jobs." Andhra Pradesh has already promised a Rs 20,000 compensation to each youth acquitted of terror charges in the state, and free coaching to the students among them. The Delhi rally, however, will have another demand: punish the officers responsible for the arrests and the media leaks. "They should be suspended if not dismissed," Rehmani said, suggesting this was the only way to bring accountability into the system. Such steps may not be legally possible, but senior lawyers have been critical of the police's growing habit of parading suspects before cameras, and behaving as if the accused were guilty till proved innocent. The legal experts put it down to increasing intolerance in society where terror suspects are stigmatised and often shunned even by defence lawyers. "We will field these youths in Assembly and parliamentary elections if they are not rehabilitated properly," Rehmani threatened. Imran, a Hyderabad-based engineering student who lost 20 months after being held over the Mecca Masjid blasts, had told *The Telegraph* his life had been "hell" even after his release on bail. He was forced to spend hours at a police station every third day, and in between suffer long periods of wait in courtrooms. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
