Ulema council wants judicial probe, 10,000 leave for Delhi

To mark the third anniversary of the Batla House encounter, 10,000 members of the Ulema Council left for New Delhi to stage a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar on Monday. They are demanding a judicial probe into the infamous Batla House encounter of September 19, 2008.

To mark the third anniversary of the Batla House encounter, 10,000 members of the Ulema Council left for New Delhi to stage a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar on Monday. They are demanding a judicial probe into the infamous Batla House encounter of September 19, 2008.

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Maulana Tahir Madani, national general secretary of the Ulema Council and Sharad Pandey, national vice president and Afzal Ahmad divisional president of the council Kaleem also boarded the train.

At the Saraimeer railway station, Mohammed Ameen — father of Atiq Ameen, who was one of those killed in the Batla House encounter — also boarded the train along with hundreds of his supporters.

Members of the Ulema Council boarded the train from Fariah, Saraimeer, Phoolpur and Shahganj stations too. Maulana Aamir Rashidi, national president of the council, has already reached New Delhi to take part in the agitation.

Volunteers of the council carried placards with slogans demanding justice and a judicial probe into the Batla House encounter. They also demanded the immediate release of Muslim youth arrested in bomb blast cases across the country.

The Ulema Council accused the union government of implicating the youth of Azamgarh in fake cases.

Maulana Tahir Madani said nothing less than a judicial inquiry into the Batla House encounter would be acceptable to the Ulema Council.