NEW DELHI: A group of retired civil servants has written an open letter to the chief ministers of all states and the lieutenant governors of all union territories on the harassment of Muslims even as India deals with the spread of COVID-19.
The former all-India and central services officers, uniting under the banner of the Constitutional Conduct Group, have written against the attitude of hostility with which the Muslim community has been met with, ever since the news of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation spread across the country.
The former bureaucrats have also identified the role of sections of the media in worsening what was already a communally charged scenario.
“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 communalising it and extending it to the Muslim community as a whole is utterly irresponsible and reprehensible,” the letter read.
The letter aims to chart out a path of action for state governments that would assuage the anxieties of the minority community and also see to it that their daily needs are fulfilled during the lockdown.
The letter has said the country is going through an unprecedented trauma and “we can endure, survive and overcome the challenges that this pandemic has imposed on us only by remaining united and helping each other”.
“We should remember that traditionally India has maintained good relations with Muslim nations and has been seen as their friend. Millions of our fellow citizens live and work in these countries. There has been a serious concern expressed in these countries about the recent developments. We should ensure, through our non-discriminatory action and relief measures, that the minorities have nothing to fear in India,” they said.
The group comprising over 100 former civil servants, including SY Quraishi, AS Dulat, Keshav Desiraju, and others have written to State CMs and the letter has also been copied to the PM.