Extend generosity to Muslim prisoners too: Abdul Rahim

Chennai: Muslim organisations and leaders have welcomed efforts by the Tamil Nadu government to release the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts but are demanding that the same generosity be shown to the Muslim prisoners “languishing in jails for several years.

State president Abdul Rahim of the Indian National League said in a statement that while the INL wholeheartedly welcomed the state government’s efforts to get the Rajiv Gandhi case convicts released on the grounds that they had spent almost 25 years in jail, the Muslim community demanded similar generosity and fair justice in the case of the 49 Muslim prisoners languishing in jails for almost two decades.

Slamming the state government for its ‘silence’ on the Muslim prisoners, Mr Rahim in a statement cautioned the AIADMK government that the Muslims might choose to vote against the AIADMK if the government continued to be indifferent towards the plight of the Muslim prisoners.  

In a similar statement, Popular Front of India state secretary A Mohideen Abdul Kader said the PFI at its state executive meeting held at Nellai on Thursday welcomed the government efforts to release the Rajiv Gandhi case convicts but also wanted the Muslim lifers languishing in jails to be released forthwith. “There is no need to seek Central clearance for the release of the Muslim life-term convicts. The state government can invoke Article 161 of the Constitution to release the critically ill prisoner Abuthakeer and other life-term Muslim prisoners”, PFI leader said.