Politics have heated up in Tamil Nadu over the demand to release Muslim prisoners from jail, including those convicted in the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast. Opposition parties including AIADMK, which recently exited NDA, are demanding the release of Muslim prisoners who have served a long time in jail. BJP is opposing the demand, while DMK is questioning AIADMK’s sudden love for Muslim prisoners. DMK is also trying to take a secular stand here, saying there the govt will not see prisoners based on their religion.
The matter was raised in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday when a motion was raised seeking the release of the 36 Muslim prisoners. Almost all opposition parties in the assembly supported the motion, except BJP. Raising the matter in assembly, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami urged the state to release them. He cited their health conditions and added that they have been in prison for more than 20 years. Palaniswami said that several political parties had been demanding the release of these prisoners and the state government should heed their plea.
Several other MLAs from different parties made similar demands. Responding to the same, CM MK Stalin said that the government has already taken steps to release prisoners. He said that the state government had set up a six-member committee, led by retired Madras High Court judge, Justice N Authinathan, in December 2021 to look into the matter.
The panel had recommended the release of 224 prisoners, following which the state decided to first release 49 prisoners, of which 20 were Muslim. The chief minister said the documents on the release were pending with Governor RN Ravi for his assent.
Stalin also questioned AIADMK for their sudden demand for the release of Muslim prisoners. “While in power you didn’t take any steps to release Muslim prisoners. You blindly supported CAA and NRC. We and the minority community clearly know why AIADMK is showing such affection towards Muslim prisoners now”, said the CM.
On the other hand, BJP has objected to the demand. State BJP chief K Annamalai has cautioned the state government against the premature release of the terrorists serving life imprisonment in the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast case. Annamalai said he believed that terrorism shouldn’t be confined to a religion or community.
In February 1998, a bomb blast by Radical Islamic Fundamentalists in a serene city like Coimbatore led to the loss of 58 lives and injured over 200.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) October 10, 2023
The SC last week stuck down the bail application filed by a few convicts in this case & reiterated it as an atrocious act. Despite…
Annamalai wrote on X that he hoped good sense would prevail and Chief Minister M K Stalin would stop “his misadventure of releasing the radical Islamic fundamentalists” from prison.
Apart from political parties, other organisations also have joined the demand. Several Muslim organisations held a protest in Chennai on Wednesday, 11 October, demanding the release of 36 Muslim prisoners serving jail terms on terror charges. The protest was led by the Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi (MJK), and it was organised outside the Triplicane mosque in Chennai, India Today reported.
Muslim Organisations held protests in Chennai for the release of 36 Muslim prisoners serving life imprisonment for more than 20 years.#ReporterDiary (@PramodMadhav6) pic.twitter.com/Zi7TM9Uplt
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 11, 2023
The Protestors also burnt the image of CM MK Stalin and raised slogans against the government. Later all the protesters were detained by the Chennai police.
General Secretary of Manidhaneya Jananayaka Katchi, Taminun Ansari said “We held a protest today in Chennai demanding prisoners who served more than 20 years in Tamil Nadu prison should be released. We also thank the political parties who support our demand. We are shocked that the CM said in the Assembly that they have sent this to the Governor where already 22 bills are pending. We are going to siege the assembly now.”
“Rape convicts in Bilkis Bano case were prematurely released by the Gujarat government. They have no moral rights to speak about this”, Thameemul Ansari said justifying the demand.
