New Delhi: A group of 1,100 activists from across India have issued a statement condemning the arrests of Muslims and women activists in Delhi who were at the forefront of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Noting that these arrests were taking place at a time the country was in lockdown, activists have demanded that the Delhi Police make public the details of the FIRs, arrests and detentions with their legal status, and conduct a free and fair investigation into all the incidents of violence.
They also demanded that false cases against peaceful anti-CAA protestors be dropped, and those arrested on “trumped-up charges” be immediately released.
The signatories of the statement included social activists Medha Patkar, Aruna Roy and Teesta Setalvad, Dipa Sinha, a professor at Ambedkar University, film director Aparna Sen, celebrated authors Meena Kandasamy and Gita Hariharan, eminent lawyers Anubha Rastogi and Vasudha Nagraj.
They also included members of feminists groups such as Saheli, National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), LABIA – A Queer Feminist LBT Collective and Forum Against Oppression of Women (FAOW).
Also read: Delhi Police file first charge sheet in communal riots case, name shooter Shahrukh
What the statement says
The activists demanded that action instead be taken against the “actual instigators and perpetrators of communal violence”.
“Real culprits of the violence in Delhi must be booked, including the likes of Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and others who instigated hate, sparked and perpetuated the violence,” they said.
BJP leader Kapil Mishra was in February accused of delivering hate speeches that instigated the Delhi riots during the anti-CAA protests.
The statement highlighted the cases of three Muslim women who were at the forefront of the protests. It claimed that these women were not involved in the violence in any way, contrary to the Delhi Police’s charge.
Gulfisha, who was arrested on 9 April, is a 25-year-old MBA student who took part in the Seelampur anti-CAA protests. According to the statement, Gulfisha has been languishing in judicial custody under false charges of sedition, without access to her family or a lawyer.
She had reportedly been named in an FIR in February. Gulfisha is also part of Pinjra Tod — a collective of women students and alumni of colleges from across Delhi.
The statement also noted the case of Safoora Zargar, a 30-year-old member of the Jamia Coordination Committee, who was arrested for allegedly being the key conspirator of the violence. Zargar is three months pregnant, the statement added.
The third case cited was that of Ishrat Jahan, a former municipal councillor, who has been in jail for over a month now.
In the statement, the activists alleged that Jahan, who had participated in the protests against CAA and the National Register of Citizens in East Delhi’s Khureji, has been subjected to torture in jail.
Jahan was accused of attempt to murder in a case related to the violence and rioting that tore through northeast Delhi for three days in February. He was also denied bale, the collective said.
Also read: Delhi riots neither designed by Modi govt, nor Islamic conspiracy. It’s far more dangerous
CAA is part of law duly passed by the Indian Parliament. If you violate the law or protest violently, action has to be taken against you. These protestors are primarily responsible for inciting Delhi riots and should be punished as per the law of the land It is so fair..
The anti-CAA protests are simply political. The amendment to the Citizenship Act is very specific and applies to a specific population that has been living in India and does not apply to any future population or takes away any rights of any person or group in India.
It is wrong to protest against a amendment that simply helps people who are refugees in this country. Especially Muslims who protest are totally wrong. They are technically refugees who could be asked to go relocate to the country they demanded and got.
Right action has been taken. More such people who created nuisance by protesting CAA should be jailed. Freedom to protest does not include propagating lies.
Shame on these activists.
Blood of 59 persons died in NE Delhi riots and loss of property to the tunes of hundreds of crores, demand apologies from these activists.
These blood suckers are sitting in their posh offices and homes, writing BS and portraying themselves as paragon of virtue.
Anti CAA protesters were being handled with kid gloves, no more.
Anti CAA protesters are absolute bigots. India should pass a law like Germany that criminalises denial of persecution of minorities in Pakistan. We all know who bank rolls these hypocritic “activists”.
Excellent work by police. Nation suffered a lot due to motivated protests to create chaos and violence and destabilise the country.
govt has no right to arrest in a democracy protest is allowed if govt feels they cannot protest better resign and get lost u dont deserve to sit in power
peaceful protests are allowed in any democracy. Not VIOLENT protests
Government has got all the rights to arrest people trying to spread hate with their baseless protests creating trouble for the general public and threatening and hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community
And since this government is doing it’s job really well
We’ll elect this government again.
Your vote won’t make any difference because you already have voted against this government in last elections.
So just chill
Whatever is happening
You can’t help it
Some action has been taken!!! More action will be taken for the fake narratives peddled by anti-India gangs. It is not a surprise that online media like ‘The Print’ which is skewed heavily towards favoring complete chaotic, caste and communal disharmony peddling Congress government would make such letter writers eminent.
Anti CAA protesters are Hindu haters and traitors. They don’t deserve any mercy.
The usual suspects. Pseudo-seculars have been the bane of this nation forever.
Yeah, these so-called activists will decide who is responsible for the riots. Not the Court and police. It’s high time these so-called activists should not cross their boundaries.
Arrest these more than 1100 paid stooges also under sedition charges. Then we will have peace
Absolutely. Why are the people who gave inflammatory speeches immediately before the Delhi riots not arrested, like Kapil Mishra? If he is not a fit case for arrest – – even by his own reckoning – – then why has he stopped coming in front of the people? Does he feel a guilt in his conscience? Similarly, where is that fellow, Sahib Singh Verma’s son, I forget his name? Why are the anti-CAA protestors being arrested for Delhi riots, if they were to be arrested they should have been arrested for the “crime” of ANTI-CAA protests, which had been happening for two months before the Delhi riots took place!
Kapil Mishra statements are to police. Yes, he shouldn’t have said, but that doesn’t give anyone license to attack others.
What about muslim and communist traitors
, speakers like Harsh mander?because of these so called activists brazen support to muslim radicals only they have lost public respect, support etc.
Delhi police you are late in taking action. Nonetheless country has to move forward not 1400 years back. Delhi police we congratulate you. All scientific minded and educated people will support your action.
Should the rule of law be on hold due to COVID? What is the point of these compulsive letter writers? And why did they not involve that American citizen, Siddharth Vadharajan of The Wire, in getting more signatories? For a mere FIR against him, he galvanized over 3500 signatories to intercede on his behalf. Surely for people who are in jail, he would have at least got that many if not more.