COVID-19: Over 100 Former Civil Servants Write to CMs Over Harassment of Muslims
Image Courtesy: PTI
New Delhi: Appealing for maintaining social harmony at a time when the novel coronavirus pandemic is raging in the country, over a 100 former civil servants have expressed anguish over reports of harassment of Muslims in some parts of the country, particularly after the Tablighi Jamaat cases came to light, and the communalisation of the pandemic by a section of the media.
In a letter addressed to all Chief Ministers and Lt Governors of Union territories, the retired civil servants said: “The action of the Jamaat in organising such an event, ignoring the Delhi Government's advisories was, without question, misguided and condemnable. However, the action of the media in communalizing it and extending it to the Muslim community as a whole is utterly irresponsible and reprehensible”, citing various fake video clips doing the rounds, defaming the entire Muslim community.
Citing reports of discrimination of Muslims by some hospitals and health facilities as also distribution of rations, the letter urged the CMs and LGs to “instruct all public functionaries to be particularly vigilant to prevent social boycott of any community in the State and to ensure that all the entitlements including medical and hospital care, rations and financial assistance are available equally to all those in need.”
Among the signatories are various former IAS, IPS, and IFS officers, such as Keshav Desiraju, Ashok Vajpayee, Siraj Hussain, Anita Agnihotri, Najeeb Jung, Shyam Saran, N C Saxena, Julio Rebeiro, K Sujatha Rao, SY Quraishi, Shivshankar Menon, A S Dulat, Anna Dani among others.
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