Opposition mistaken on letter to CMs over harassment of youth: Shinde

NEW DELHI: Under attack from BJP, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said that his directive for the states to ensure that no innocents were wrongfully detained in terror cases was not specific to Muslims and implied youths of all communities.

Shinde said there was "nothing new" in his letter to the Chief Ministers of all states stressing on the need for justice for innocent minority youth languishing in jail on unsubstantiated terror charges.

He said he had used the term "Muslim" only in the first two paragraphs and the word minorities in the rest of the communication asking the states to ensure that no innocents were harassed by police.

"The Home Ministry keeps writing such letters. But why I wrote that letter, it was categorical. I wrote the letter after receiving representations from various NGOs and others which specifically made allegations of harassment of Muslim youth. We (Home Ministry) are not saying that. But political parties misunderstood it," he said at a press conference here.

Shinde said that the Opposition had read his letter in a way that suited them.

"If someone wants to misunderstand, what can we do. If someone's culture is to put things in the dustbin, they can do it," he said when asked to comment on BJP's statement that the said letter by him should be thrown into the dustbin.

Shinde said he has written to Chief Ministers in the past asking them to give relief to Scheduled Caste persons facing alleged atrocities.

Asked whether his directive was applicable to youth from the majority community who may be facing alleged harassment at police hands in false cases, the Home Minister said, "It is applicable to all."