Aamir spoke as he is courageous, hounded for being Muslim: TMC MP Kabir Suman

“At least he (Aamir) had the courage to say what he did. I don’t believe I am that courageous. What do we call ourselves — Bengalis, Calcuttans, Hindus, Muslims or secular Indians. The tragedy is that we have become a nation where we can digest the cruel and obscene fact that those who killed Mahatma Gandhi are now being lauded. It is contrary to what India stands for,” the former MP from Jadavpur said.

Pointing out the holding of Divas currently being marked only in Kolkata, Suman urged that the Divas be observed in the entire country. “Hemant Karkare stood for so much. There are so many people who aren’t even familiar with his name. This divas is only marked in Kolkata right now – this should not be the case, it should be marked across the country in all cities.”

On the day, the Committee also launched the Bengali version of the book — Who Killed Karkare? The Real Face of Terrorism in India — penned by former Maharashtra IG S M Mushrif.

Speaking before the gathering, Mushrif said that the investigations into the 2008 Malegaon blast was “one of the most significant investigations in independent India.”

Speaker Zafarul-Islam Khan, also editor of The Milli Gazette, said, “…when violent act is carried out by a government or a nation state then it receives legitimacy – I say that the biggest most violent act of terrorism is terrorism by a nation state.”