By Muslim Mirror Desk
New Delhi: Prominent activists and intellectuals including Dr Suresh Khairnar, Ravi Nair, Prof Shamshul Islam, and Leni Raghuvamshi Wednesday urged the BJP government in Jharkhand to immediately lift the ban on Popular Front of India. They said the ban is “illegal and unconstitutional” and the allegations leveled against PFI are “ baseless”.
In a joint statement issued to the media, they said: “the ban order scoffs at the laws of the land and opens doors to the violation of fundamental rights respected by the constitution. It is reported that the ban was imposed on the spacious and baseless allegation that the front was influenced by the so-called ISIS of the Middle East, they continued. “They understand that Popular Front of India is a neo-social movement actively involved in developmental work like literacy campaign, prevention of malnutrition and comprehensive empowerment of the poor and the downtrodden, especially Muslims.”
The signatories also pointed out that “the Hindutva Government of Jharkhand and its police have been unhappy with the activists of Popular Front for highlighting the multiple lynching cases in the state. The ban is a ploy used by the government to intimidate people and suppress democratic forms of protest and dissent. This is not for the first time that the government has used the law to ban organizations opposed to the plunder of this resource-rich state and the corruption of the ruling class”.
They also appealed to the human right groups, political parties, and minority organizations to rally up for lifting the ban of Popular Front of India.
The statement was endorsed by Dr Suresh Khairnar, Social Activist, Nagpur Maharashtra, Ravi Nair, South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre, New Delhi, Prof Shamshul Islam, New Delhi, Leni Raghuvamshi PVCHR, Varanasi Uttarpardesh, Adv.Sridevi Panikker, Supreme Court, Rajiv Yadav Rihai Manch, Lucknow , Uttar Pradesh;Adv Aditya Wadhwa, Supreme Court, Dr.Malam Ningthauja, Camping for Peace and Democracy, Manipur; Sunil Kumar, Journalist/ Activist, New Delhi; Madhuri Krishnaswamy JADS Bhopal;Vasantha AS , Hyderabad; Rona Wilson, CRPP New Delhi; Seema Azad, Editor Dastak, Allahabad; Prabal DSU Delhi University; Adv Amit Shrivastav High Court Delhi; Adv Mangala High Court Delhi; Anushka Democratic Rights New Delhi;. Vipul Kumar, Quill Foundation; Devika Prasad, Rights Activist, and others.