NEW DELHI ( 2008-09-16 16:23:13 ) :Indian police were set to release on Tuesday sketches of key suspects in weekend bombings that killed 22 people, but Muslims said they planned to protest because they were being unfairly targeted in a police manhunt.
Police have already named two Muslim suspects and were almost ready with sketches of at least two other men they said had placed explosives in busy market places and streets in India's capital on Saturday.
The Indian Mujahideen group, which says it is avenging atrocities against Muslims in India and claimed several major attacks in recent months, said it was responsible.
"The sketches were drawn with information from witnesses who saw these men either move suspiciously or place suspect-looking bags," police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.
Police were conducting a "witch hunt" in several areas of New Dehli, reuters reported.
"Terrorists do not belong to any religion," said Feroze Alam, a young trader in New Delhi's Daryaganj district.
"They should be hanged. Why don't the police realise this and stop persecuting Muslims alone?"
Some 20 Muslim organisations plan to meet in New Delhi next month to work a strategy to counter those stereotypes.
"It is time to unite and protest against these attempts to harass Muslim youths and brand them as terrorists," Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the chief cleric of Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, told Reuters.
"After every blast case, they have dragged innocent young men from their homes, and this has not stopped despite repeated requests," Bukhari said.
"It is high time we put an end to this persecution."
Police have already named two Muslim suspects and were almost ready with sketches of at least two other men they said had placed explosives in busy market places and streets in India's capital on Saturday.
The Indian Mujahideen group, which says it is avenging atrocities against Muslims in India and claimed several major attacks in recent months, said it was responsible.
"The sketches were drawn with information from witnesses who saw these men either move suspiciously or place suspect-looking bags," police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.
Police were conducting a "witch hunt" in several areas of New Dehli, reuters reported.
"Terrorists do not belong to any religion," said Feroze Alam, a young trader in New Delhi's Daryaganj district.
"They should be hanged. Why don't the police realise this and stop persecuting Muslims alone?"
Some 20 Muslim organisations plan to meet in New Delhi next month to work a strategy to counter those stereotypes.
"It is time to unite and protest against these attempts to harass Muslim youths and brand them as terrorists," Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the chief cleric of Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, told Reuters.
"After every blast case, they have dragged innocent young men from their homes, and this has not stopped despite repeated requests," Bukhari said.
"It is high time we put an end to this persecution."
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