Even as campaigning for the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state is yet to begin, some organisations espousing the cause of Gujarat Muslims have raised certain security and rights issues afflicting the community.  The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) and the Alpsankhyak Adhikar Manch have said political parties must promise to enact a law like the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, that would make crimes against the community a non-bailable offence.

The prime concern of Muslims, especially the youth, remains their personal security as they can face attack anytime, anywhere, said Mujahid Nafees of the MCC which had laid siege on the State Secretariat on 18 December last year on issues related to the community.

A ‘Manifesto of Minority communities’ released by the MCC has called upon the contesting political parties to amend the National Minorities Commission Act, 1992, to give it a Constitutional status and make it mandatory for all states to have minorities commissions. There is no minority commission in Gujarat and 17 other states of the country, regretted the MCC.

Quoting the Sachar Committee report that said that Muslims in the country are behind national average in terms of employment, education and opportunities, the MCC ‘manifesto’ demanded that an Equal Opportunities Commission should be formed with constitutional powers so that all minorities get equal opportunities.

The other demands made by the MCC include setting up of minority affairs ministries in all states, special budgetary provisions for minorities and enactment of a law to prevent communal violence.

Lamenting that minorities are targeted in frequent police encounters which are also glorified, the MCC has demanded a judicial inquiry commission to probe these fake encounters.

The other demands include a ban on arms training and distribution of tridents by certain organisations which scare the minorities. Alpsankhyak Adhikar Manch’s Shamshad Khan Pathan, a human rights activist and lawyer, said that threat perception continues to be part of daily life for the minority community now.

“This threat is not just from Hindutva forces but from the state machinery too”, he said adding that there is always a fear among minorities of being picked up for no reason.