By Special Correspondent
New Delhi: A group of civil society representatives, community leaders, scholars and activists under the banner of Samvidhan Suraksha Andolan on Tuesday condemned the Uttar Pradesh BJP government headed by Yogi Adityanath for its continued repressive actions against anti-CAA movement leaders and activists in the state. They demanded that the UP government should stop this repressive regime forthwith and withdraw all the cases registered against them who did not commit any crime or break the law.
In a joint statement, they expressed deep concern and resentment over the ongoing repressive moves and vendetta by the Yogi Government against the anti- CAA activists.
“Having political opinions opposed to the government in power, expressing them publicly and criticizing and protesting peacefully have never been considered crimes in the country.”
They alleged that the state government has been misusing the pandemic crisis to crush the dissent.
“While most governments all over the world discourage arrests and imprisonments to minimize the risk of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, in India, in Uttar Pradesh state in particular, the lockdown situation is being misused as an opportunity to hunt down and eliminate voices of dissent.”
They noted that the UP government has intensified its vendetta against those who stood in the forefront Anti-CAA-NRC-NPR agitations. Human Rights defenders, political leaders, student activists and innocent persons belonging to Muslim minority community who participated in these agitations have been made the new pariahs in the state and they are labeled rioters and anti-nationals.
It is a matter of grave concern that the police storm their houses, intimidate and harass them and their innocent family members.
“They are unlawfully arrested and fabricated charges and draconian laws like sedition, UAPA and NSA are imposed on them. Besides, Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986 (Gangsters Act) and UP Control of Gonads Act, 1970 (Goondas Act) are also used against people for protesting peacefully and democratically against the discriminatory citizenship legislation”.
The arrests of retired IP S officer, S R Darapuri and Dr. Kafeel Khan are clear evidence for vendetta politics in which the BJP government is using all means at its disposal to suppress the voices they dislike.
Recently, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student activist Sharjeel Usmani was arrested on “fabricated” charges. Mufti Muhammed Shahzad, UP State ad-hoc committee member of Popular Front of India was jailed because he had filed a Public Interest Litigation in the high court requesting an impartial judicial probe on the UP Police violence. Many hundreds of less known local social activists and innocent minority community members are incarcerated on fake charges and harassed continuously all over the state.
What is more worrisome is that the UP administration has now started attaching properties of individuals arbitrarily without a fair investigation or trail in different parts of the state, they added.
This extreme step is taken in the name of citizenship protests alleging their involvement in destruction of properties and this step has no legal backing.
Civil society members termed the attachment of properties as a daylight robbery of people by the Yogi Government.
“It sets a dangerous precedent which can have far-reaching consequences in our democratic right to protest. In fact, the police were responsible for the isolated incidents of violence occurred during the democratic protests which were largely peaceful.”
They pointed out that “The Hindutva gangs and police in uniforms who were seen carrying out vandalism against Muslim properties and neighborhoods face no action. Rather they are protected. Bijnor Police Special Investigation Team giving clean chit to six officers involved in the killing of 20-year-old Mohammed Suleiman during the anti-CAA agitation is just an example.”
They called upon all democratic and secular forces in the country to stand together and voice against the abuse of power by the UP Government.
The statement was signed by Maulana Muhammad Wali Rahmani, General Secretary, All India Muslim Personal Law Board; Dr Denzil Fernandez, Social Scientist; Maulana K R Sajjad Nomani; Dr John Dayal, Secretary General, All India Catholic Council; Prof A Marx, Chairperson, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations ;Rajratan Ambedkar, National President, The Buddhist Society of India ;Syed Sarwar Chisti, AjmeerDargah ; Dr Michael Williams, President, United Christian Forum ;. Mohammed Shafi, General Secretary, SDPI; Prof Hani Babu; Prof Nandita Narain ; and Prof Devika Mittal, Delhi University;. Abdul Wahid Sait, Popular Front of India; A C Michael, Former member, Delhi Minorities Commission ; Abu Zafar, Journalist, ; Gopal Menon, Film Maker; Dr Tasleem Rahmani, Convener, Muslim Political Council; Kripa Shankar, Anti-Fascist Alliance, UP and others.
The statement was signed by Maulana Muhammad Wali Rahmani, General Secretary, All India Muslim Personal Law Board; Dr Denzil Fernandez, Social Scientist; Maulana K R Sajjad Nomani; Dr John Dayal, Secretary General, All India Catholic Council; Prof A Marx, Chairperson, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations ;Rajratan Ambedkar, National President, The Buddhist Society of India ;Syed Sarwa yr Chisti, AjmeerDargah ; Dr Michael Williams, President, United Christian Forum ;. Mohammed Shafi, General Secretary, SDPI; Prof Hani Babu; Prof Nandita Narain ; and Prof Devika Mittal, Delhi University;. Abdul Wahid Sait, Popular Front of India; A C Michael, Former member, Delhi Minorities Commission ; Abu Zafar, Journalist, ; Gopal Menon, Film Maker; Dr Tasleem Rahmani, Convener, Muslim Political Council; Kripa Shankar, Anti-Fascist Alliance, UP and others.
Well Done, for coming together against devilish cruelty and dictatorial fascism.
” COALITION FOR HUMANITY and GOODNESS ”
I hope your statement will have an effect on UP government.
Anti-CAA is itself a witch hunt to destabilize the secular and biggest democracy