Author: Pioneer News service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: October 8, 2008
The students of Jamia Millia Islamia, who
were arrested for their suspected involvement in Delhi serial blasts, have
found a new saviour in Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh.
Offering to provide legal aid to the arrested
students, Singh said his party could withdraw support to the UPA Government
if the Jamia shootout turned out to be a case of fake encounter.
Addressing a Press conference here, the SP
leader said he would speak to the Jamia Millia Islamia authorities to meet
the legal expenses of the arrested students. Singh also disclosed that on
his request, senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani has agreed to take up the case of
the two students.
Renewing his demand for a judicial probe into
the Batla House encounter in which Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chandra Sharma
was killed, Singh said that SP would reconsider its support to the Central
Government, if the findings did not justify the police theory of encounter.
Singh said media has raised doubts about the
Batla House encounter and the subsequent arrest of the students. "A judicial
probe is necessary to clear all confusion," he said.
He regretted the rejection of aid given by
his party by Inspector Sharma's family but questioned why the cop did not
wear a bullet-proof jacket.
He said he announced cash aid for the family
of the inspector because he considered as martyr anyone who died in uniform
or anyone who had fallen to either police bullets or terrorists' bullets.
"Shoot them if they are terrorists. But
if they are innocent, then they should be given justice," Singh told
at a Press conference here adding "if a judicial probe says they are
innocent, then we can think of withdrawing support to the UPA Government."
Singh again suggested that Home Minister Shivraj
Patil should own moral responsibility for the Batla House encounter.
"Shivraj Patil should voluntarily resign
in the name of morality and keeping in mind the honourable Congress tradition
over decades," the SP leader said.