BJP hits out at Shinde's remark on minorities; says arrests should be made on the basis of crime

NEW DELHI: In a letter that has generated a political controversy, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Friday asked all state Chief Ministers to be 'careful' while arresting minorities.

BJP hit out at Shinde saying that criminals should not be identified on the basis of religion. "I don't understand what is wrong with Shinde. Why should you identify religion of criminals? It's a dangerous trend," Prakash Javadekar of BJP said. "Arrests should be made on the basis of crime and not community," the BJP leader said.

The Home Minister wrote to state CMs on detention procedures, asking them to form a panel to review cases of people jailed without trial. "Release minority youths if they are illegally detained," Shinde wrote.

This is not the first time that Shinde's remarks on minorities have generated a political furore. In October last year, Shinde had asked state governments to ensure that Muslims are not arrested wrongly or with mala fide intentions in terror cases.

Shinde had then written to all state chief ministers saying that the central government has been receiving various representations alleging harassment of innocent Muslim youth by law enforcement agencies. "Some of the minority youth have started feeling that they are deliberately targeted and deprived their basic rights.... Government has to ensure that no innocent person is subjected to undue harassment," he had said in his letter.

Shinde had said while the government was committed to combatting terrorism, agencies should be sensitive to communal and social harmony while ensuring zero tolerance for terrorism. Shinde had asked states to take strict and prompt action against erring police officers "where there is mala fide arrest of any member of minority community wrongfully arrested" and ensure that those wrongfully arrested are released immediately with suitable compensation and rehabilitation.