THE ALL India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) today condemned the UP police for tarnishing the image of renowned Imarate Sharia (Phulwari Sharif) in Bihar. The board said the UP police had mischievously prepared a report to damage reputation of the organisation.
The UP police at the officers’ conference during the police week, which concluded on Sunday, presented a report “Scenario of terrorism in India”. The document in possession of Hindustan Times was prepared by additional director general (Railways) VK Bhalla, who is close to present dispensation. While discussing ‘Shramjeevi Blast 2005’, the officer said, “Imarate Sharia — an organisation is active in Phulwari Sharif, whose dictate prevails among hardliner Muslims in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Bangladesh”. The report further said, “Activists of ISI, Lashkare Tayyeba, SIMI, HUJI from Pakistan and Bangladesh keep visiting Phulwari Sharif via Bangladesh”. The report also noted that terrorists had been working in the “garb of SIMI and other Muslim fundamentalist organisation”.
Condemning the report, the AIMPLB general secretary and chief of ‘Imarate Sharia’, Maulana Nizamuddin told Hindustan Times that it was a conspiracy of the UP police to smear the image of an organisation, which had been rendering welfare services for the last 80 years. He said it was table draft by the some UP police officers who had been desperately trying to dub entire community as terrorist.
Nizamuddin said he would take up the issue at the next meeting of AIMPLB. He said ‘Imarate Sharia’ had played historical role in independence struggle and it was unfortunate that UP police had been making efforts to spoil its reputation.
He said the Muslims would not tolerate such behaviour of the UP police. He said the comment in the report amply indicated ‘communal approach’ of the officer who had prepared the document. He said there were desperate move to create trouble in the community by such reports. He also refuted the charge of Bhalla that it was hardliners’ organisation.
Nizamuddin said he would take up the issue at the next meeting of AIMPLB. He said ‘Imarate Sharia’ had played historical role in independence struggle and it was unfortunate that UP police had been making efforts to spoil its reputation.
He said the Muslims would not tolerate such behaviour of the UP police. He said the comment in the report amply indicated ‘communal approach’ of the officer who had prepared the document. He said there were desperate move to create trouble in the community by such reports. He also refuted the charge of Bhalla that it was hardliners’ organisation.
Expressing anguish over the issue, Naib Imam Eidgah Maulana Khalid Rashid said it was unfortunate that a senior police officer had leveled such a baseless allegation against the institution. He said it was a conspiracy of the UP police against Muslims.
Demanding apology from the officer, Rashid did not rule out the possibility that one day the UP police would dub AIMPLB as a ‘terrorists organisation’. He said the officer had insulted the entire Muslim community.
The AIMPLB spokesman Qasim Rasool Ilyas said ‘communal element in the UP police’ had been painting the community in black hues. He said the institution had no influence in Bangladesh.