Afroz Alam Sahil for BeyondHeadlines
New Delhi: The central university of Jamia Millia Islamia has refused to divulge any details of communications to the concerned department, although in the days following the alleged shoot out then Vice Chancellor of the University Professor Mushirul Hassan had assured legal aids and it was also decided that they will urge the government for setting up judicial enquiry.
Today is the fifth anniversary of Batla House shootout, and in last five years all we have seen is only politics by people of all persuasions, except one controversial judgement.
In 2008 on 19th September, on 4th floor of L-18, Batla House in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar area, two youths of Azamgarh – Atif Amin and Mohammad Sajid – were killed in a shootout, which was later claimed to be an encounter by special cell of Delhi police. In this shootout, one of the officers of Delhi police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma also lost his life. However, from the very first day Human and Civil Rights’ organizations and activists are demanding an independent judicial enquiry into the shootout. The postmortem report of the deceased also pointed towards the encounter being a fake one.
BeyondHeadlines has a copy of the Minute of the meetings of the Academic Council that decided to form two separate committees respectively for “legal aid” and “students relief”. Each committee comprised of three members, which had the mandate to liaise police and students to restore confidence and for setting up judicial enquiry into the incidents.
BeyondHeadlines had filed an RTI application to the University administration seeking details about the money collected, expenditure, as well as details of communications that the said committee had with any departments for the set goals.
However, University administration refused to divulge any details citing sections 8 (1) (a), (g) and (h) of the RTI Act (2005).
The above sections deal with concealing information on the ground that it would “prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity” or could hamper the security of India; could endanger the life or physical safety of any person; or which would impede the process of investigation.
It should be noted that the investigation in the case is over, and in fact in one case judgement was also pronounced in July by the trial court. It is beyond anyone’s imagination as to how details of communications, if any, could endanger the security of the country or anyone’s life.
BeyondHeadlines had earlier reported, how 1 million rupees donated by then SP leader Amar Singh to Jamia Old Boys’ Association was rather used for other purposes, except Rs 1 lakh which passed on to the committee of legal aids of Jamia.
Amar Singh, however, confirmed that the money had been donated for the legal aid of the victims. “I had donated Rs 10 lakh to the Jamia Old Boys’ Association on behalf of the party at the Constitution Club in 2008. This money was meant for the families of the victims of the Batla House encounter.” When asked if he was aware that the money had not reached them, Singh said, “It is sad that the money has not reached the victims. However, I do not wish to comment on how the Association utilized the money.”
Family members of victims have also denied that they got any form of finanical help from the university.
