Advocate Vrinda Grover, Advocate Aslam and some other activists from Trilokpuri met the National Commission for Minorities and NHRC yesterday.

On 27th October,2014, Vrinda Grover had sought an appointment with the National Minorities Commission on the issue of communal violence and tension in Trilokpuri, Delhi, at the request of some local activists and residents. Along with some residents, activists from Trilokpuri, and lawyers, they had an hour long meeting with the Chairperson (Mr. Naseem Ahmad, 2 Members (Prof. Farida Khan and Mr. P. Davar) and Secy. NCM. The Muslim women informed the NCM that their male relatives had been indiscriminately and arbitrarliy arrested by the local police, even though they were not involved in the rioting. The women too were beaten, abused and their homes broken into by the police. The NCM heard

them for over an hour and assured that they will act upon our concerns.

In Vrinda Grover’s words- “Based on our very preliminary conversations with few residents of Trilokpuri, a Petition was presented to the NCM, seeking urgent and immediate relief. A copy of the Petition is attached.”

The same petition was also presented to the Secy. General NHRC, as no Member was available to meet with Advocate Grover and her team. “Although I was assured that the Chair or a
Member of NHRC would meet with me on 28th Oct., I have not heard back from
the NHRC.”
The main relief sought by Advocate Grover and Advocate Aslam are mentioned below:

1) That the National Commission for Minorities visits the Trilokpuri area
immediately to assess the emerging situation of communal violence, and start
the process of reconciling the communities;

2) The NCM take steps to diffuse the communal violence;

3) The NCM direct the appropriate authority/police to immediately conduct
medico-legal examination of all those arrested by a specially constituted
panel of Doctors and the report be placed before the NCM;

4) To conduct an inquiry into the role and conduct of the local police of
P.S. Kalyanpuri and P.S. Mayur Vihar Phase 1, in light of the serious
allegations and complaints of indiscriminate arrests, physical torture,
beatings, high handedness, abuse of power, overt discrimination and
hostility towards the Muslim community.

5) To review all the cases foisted upon the arrested persons to ensure
that innocent bystanders and residents are not prosecuted;

6) To direct the appropriate authorities to arrest the persons actually
inciting and committing the communal violence.

7) To initiate a process to compute the loss of property and earnings and
award appropriate compensation to the affected families.

Journalists may as a follow up, ask the NCM and NHRC what steps have been
taken by them on receipt of these petitions.

List of persons who met NCM:
* Vrinda Grover, Advocate Supreme Court of India
* Aslam Ahmed, Advocate
(who has been visting Trilokpuri and was present at the concerned citizens
meeting on Sunday),
* Saurabh Sharma, Activist
(from NGO JOSH – with offices in Trilokpuri)