New Delhi: Flaying the Gujarat Police, Amnesty International today (November 6) alleged that it continued to illegally detain Muslim youths ignoring all national and international legal safeguards.

London-based Amnesty in its report "India: Abuse of the law in Gujarat - Muslims detained illegally in Ahmedabad", said since March 2003, scores of Muslims were reported to have been "illegally detained" by Crime Branch police in Ahmedabad.

"Their detentions are connected with alleged conspiracies against the State. While many have subsequently been registered as having been formally arrested under the POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act), many remain in illegal detention," an Amnesty release said.

Calling for immediate, independent investigations into the allegations that scores of people continue to be detained in Gayakwad police station, the Human Rights group said, "National and international legal safeguards designed to prevent such situations are being ignored by police, without fear of censure by Government authorities or the courts in the State."

"These detainees and their relatives have been terrorised by the police into remaining silent about their treatment while in detention (and) reports of torture and ill-treatment have been almost impossible to confirm in climate of fear."

The Amnesty report also presents evidence against Gujarat Police contained in the court documents, the release said.

PTI