No innocent youth will be put behind bar: MoS Home

New Delhi: In the wake of demands for bringing justice to "innocent" Muslims falsely accused of terrorism, the Centre today said all efforts would be made to release such youth languishing in jails.

Union Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said the government will act in the toughest manner as far as terrorism and terrorists are concerned and deal with them accordingly. "But it will make extra steps to make sure that no innocent youth is put behind bar," he said after a delegation of Muslim MPs and leaders of the community met him demanding justice to "innocent" Muslims accused of terrorism. The delegation conveyed to the Minister that "thousands of innocent Muslims across India have suffered years of imprisonment, torture, humiliation, disgrace, trauma, ostracism and sheer injustice from being falsely implicated on the charges of terrorism based on fabricated evidence for over a decade". Demands for justice to "innocent" youth from the community came as all the nine Muslim youth, accused of involvement in 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts, were released from jail after five years of incarceration when no evidence was found against them. Last month, Bangalore-based journalist Muthi-ur-Rehman Siddiqui and DRDO scientist Aijaz Ahmed Mirza, who were arrested by the Bangalore Police in an alleged terror plot, were released on bail after the NIA failed to file charges against them. PTI