Hyderabad: Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma has slammed the random arrests of innocent Muslim youths post bomb blasts in recent years.
In his presentation at a conference of Director Generals of Police (DGPs) in Bhuj, Sharma went on to claim that socio-economic exclusion of Muslims and random arrests of youths from the community in the aftermath of a terror attack are leading to radicalisation among the minorities.
While there were 10 presentations on various aspects of internal security at the annual meet organised by the Intelligence Bureau, the one on radicalisation, presented by Sharma, was the most critical in the context of threats from the Islamic State.
According to sources, Sharma said there was a sense of alienation among Muslims as “expected social and economic benefits” had not reached them. He highlighted how areas inhabited by minorities were generally bereft of civic amenities and dearth of economic opportunities. All this, he said, made the community vulnerable to radicalisation.
To illustrate how random arrests of Muslim youths has led to radicalisation, Sharma cited the 2007 Makkah Masjid blasts in Hyderabad. He pointed out how, immediately after the blasts, police arrested Muslim youths who were found to be innocent. The blasts were found to have been executed by Hindu outfits.
(Agencies)
