Assam Minorities Commission chairman Aminul H Laskar steadfast on resolving pending cases
Silchar, Sept 12: Newly appointed chairman of Assam State Commission for Minorities, Aminul Haque Laskar has said that there are 29 cases lying pending in the commission and he would work towards analysing the validity of the cases and redress those at the earliest.
Sharing his thoughts with The Assam Tribune on his return to Barak Valley after assuming charges of the Commission, Laskar said, "I am overwhelmed with the response people gave me on my return here after assuming the charges of the Commission established back in 2003. From 2017 till September 5 2022 when the Commission was reconstituted with five other members viz Ujjal Shyam, Amritpal Singh, Surajmal Jain, Suonkhomang Changsan and Badiuj Zamal and me as the chairman, the affairs of the Commission was maintained by officials of the Government."
Laskar asserted that he was entrusted with the responsibility by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to work over the term of next three years towards safeguarding the interest of the people from the minority communities and see that they do not become victims of any injustice.
"There have been many cases coming into the Commission, which were solved while some of the complaints were referred to the National Commission for Minorities. At present, there are 29 pending cases which this present body of the Commission will look into the reasons of pendency and work to redress the cases at the earliest. There is a lot of work to do and meet the expectations of the Chief Minister who envisages that no person from any of the minority communities should face any injustice," informed Laskar.
Interestingly, when asked about his views on the recent demolition of madrassas by the State Government, the former Sonai MLA, Laskar said that any place or institution, irrespective of religious beliefs which encourage anti-Indian sentiments and injects treacherous thoughts against the country should be crushed.
"There are around 5,000 madrasas in the state. The Government respects the madrasas which impart lessons on the Holy Quran and lessons on how to become good and responsible nationals to serve the country. I am not in favour of demolishing of madrasas and I feel the Government headed by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma too has no such intention to bulldoze madrasas at large. However, if there is any madrasa (s) or for that matter, any other place or any institution in the state found to fan anti-India/Jihadi sentiments among the young minds who go there to seek noble lessons, such madaras or institutions should be demolished. No such element will be allowed to roam free which causes or likely to cause harm to the country," added Laskar.
Asked about his response on the issue of Jihad, Laskar, who was the solitary elected member in the former BJP led Government said that the word Jihad means 'committed to one's intent and work towards the society and nation building tasks.' But people engaged in terrorist and anti-national activities are not Jihadis in the true sense; they are involved in acts of cowardice. "The philosophy of Jihad is mostly wrongly interpreted and there lies the root of all problems. Jihad means to remain committed to the intent to offer namaaz five times in a day, to work for the development of the country we live in and to help the needy in the society and certainly not to fill the minds of the youngsters with hate and anti-national sentiments. We must remain vigilant and aware so that such dangerous sentiments can be prevented from mushrooming across Assam and I believe the Government will take due preventive measures as well," he maintained.
