Press coverage of the Dawood Family Justice Campaign's inaugural lecture

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FAMILIES CALL FOR JUSTICE

Yorksire Evening Post, Monday 2nd June 2003

by Neil Hudson

THE relatives of Britons, including two Batley men, killed in sectarian violence in India have vowed to fight for justice.

More than 350 people turned up to the Campaign for Justice launch at Dewsbury Town Hall on Saturday, where Lord Parekh of Kingston Upon Hull, the former head of the Commission for Racial Equality, was guest speaker.

Cousins Saeed and Shakil Dawood were on holiday in Gujarat, India, in March 2002 when their Jeep was ambushed by a Hindu mob. They have not been seen since.

Their nephew Imran Dawood, 18, was found on a dirt track battered and bleeding, next to Mohammed Aswat Nallabhai. The teenager survived the attack but Mr Nallabhai, a father of five,received fatal injuries. Both were also from Batley.

There has still been no official confirmation of the fate of Saeed, 41, and Shakil, 37 but both are feared dead.

Saeed's brother Bilal, who spoke at the campaign launch, said: "I know it's not going to be next week or next month that we achieve our aims. It might be a few years but we will not give up."

"The meeting went really well and gives the families strength to carry on, because we know the people are behind us.

"This could have happened to anyone and that was part of the message. We still have had no answers from the Indian government. There has been no proper investigation.

"In the UK there would have been a proper investigation and we would not have had to go through the trauma we have so far."

He added: "We have to remain strong and believe that we are going to get there."

Mr Dawood said they were already planning other events and would keep pressure on the Indian government to hold a full public inquiry into the atrocities.

In May relatives met Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, to discuss their concerns. The private meeting followed claims from human rights organisations of direct involvement by Indian authorities in the massacre.

Musa Kazi, of the Indian Muslim Welfare Society claimed there was evidence of state involvement.