The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts that claimed 15 lives, may be close to cracking the case.
The investigating agency has almost established the role of fringe elements of the Sanatan Sanstha and the Abhinav Bharat in the blasts.
The CBI is now looking into the conversations of godman Dayanand Pandey, who is alleged to have said that Hindu outfits were behind the blasts. This would be crucial as the CBI tries to interlink other blasts where Hindu outfits are suspected to be involved.
While several suspects who were picked up at the initial stages and later released are happy that the investigation is progressing in the right direction, voices seeking compensation and an apology from the police force are getting louder.
The Hyderabad police say there is no particular reason for them to target the Muslim community. We acted on leads and did what we thought was right at that time, they say, adding that it is for the courts to decide on the appeals for compensation.
S M Naseem, a retired IPS official who has been following the events in the aftermath of the Mecca Masjid and Ajmer blasts, is of the view that investigations into both the cases were never in the right direction.
"I would not say that the police in these cases initially went in one direction intentionally. I would say that they just overlooked facts. The biggest worry about the manner the probe is being carried out today is that the real culprit has still not been brought to book. Be it Hindus or Muslims, it is always the innocents who are being apprehended while the real ones get away," Naseem said.
"Another point here is despite the CBI coming to a conclusion that the two blasts were carried out by Hindu outfits, why have so many persons (who were picked up in the initial stages) still sitting in jail? This is gross violation of human rights," he added.
"Investigations being conducted into most blast cases are lopsided in nature. I would not blame the police much here. It is the media that is to be blamed. Within 15 minutes of the blast, the media comes to a conclusion and stories continue to be churned out. It is under media pressure that the police investigate in one particular direction and eight out of 10 times the media has managed to mislead the police. The police would do well not to be misguided and conduct an independent inquiry," the retired officer noted.
Ramesh Dixit, a professor in political science with Lucknow University who has been working closely with the victims in the Ajmer and Jaipur blasts, says that no person should be arrested without proof.
"Why should the police or the state decide as to who the culprit? Let the judiciary decide that. When the police picks up somebody on a suspicion, let them produce him or her before the court and then a decision should be made," he said.
Amir Ali Khan, the editor of Siasat, a leading Urdu daily from Hyderabad, said: "When the Mecca Masjid blasts took place, a top English daily had written that it was the Harkat ul Jihadi Islamia that had carried out the attack and its commander Shahid Bilal watched it from Bangladesh. This, according to me, is police-managed news aimed at creating hatred for the Muslims in India. Let me be frank and tell you that the Muslims are not well organised in Hyderabad and they are not good planners. From day one, we have said that Muslims have not carried out this attack."
"After the Mecca Masjid blasts and the subsequent investigation, no Muslim feels safe. There is a huge insecurity and there is fear that Hyderabad Muslims will be targeted for any blasts that occurs anywhere in the country.
"Today, the Muslims in Hyderabad are scared. I would not say that some youths may not have gone astray. It is a dangerous precedent even if 10 persons out of 100 innocent tortured decide to form a group and get the support of a terrorist organisation. Such elements could well harm the country and such things should not happen," Khan said.
