Bhopal: A 25-year-old Youth Congress leader imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for the last eight months allegedly for being a “political agent” was released earlier this month and returned to his home state of Madhya Pradesh on 3 October.
Raza Kadri, the Youth Congress president of Niwari district, had visited Mecca this January, assisting his 70-year-old grandmother for the Umrah pilgrimage, and had used the services of an agent from Jhansi for the travel.
He was, however, picked up by the Saudi police 26 January after photos showing him with a placard of Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra flag were widely shared on social media.
Raza told ThePrint that while in Mecca, he had come across a group of people holding the Indian flag along with that of the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra. He said he clicked a photo holding the banner with the holy site of the Kaaba in the background. The photos went viral and were also tweeted by Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikrant Bhuria.
According to Raza, he later got to know from the Saudi authorities that a complaint from a man, identified as Hassan Khan, was first received by Saudi officials, which termed Raza as a “political agent”. He said he subsequently learnt that “an anonymous complaint had also been sent from the BJP’s IT Cell and had several videos of Raza participating in various political activities”.
“When I got Raza’s photo, I tweeted it,” Bhuria told ThePrint. “We did not share it with any political agenda in mind as the Bharat Jodo Yatra was itself not a political rally. The rally had resonated with people across the globe and several people had put up its posters in cricket matches as well.”
Talking about his arrest, Raza said that soon after the photos went viral, a few people came knocking on his hotel door at 12.30 am, after he had returned from his prayers.
“They first said that they wanted to know about my experience of Umrah. I told them that it was not the time, but when they insisted that I step out with them, I went out of the hotel and was handcuffed. My face was covered and I was taken to the local police station,” Raza added.
According to Raza, at the police station, he was shown the viral photos and asked about his political affiliations.
“It was at the police station I learnt that it was a crime to click such photos in Mecca and the matter was being investigated through the prism of using the holy site for political activities. When I told them that I had no idea about the law, I was asked me to get a letter from the (Indian) embassy and for my (travel) agent to come and give surety (about my character),” he said.
“However, when I tried to contact my agent, he was nowhere to be found. My passport and visa were also with him so I had nothing to prove my innocence.”
After being allegedly detained at the police station for two days, Raza said he was transferred to Dhahban Central Prison near Jeddah.
When asked about the case, Madhya Pradesh in-charge of BJP’s IT Cell, Aman Shukla, said he was unaware of the matter and that it was “unlikely” that a complaint against Raza had been sent from the IT Cell.
ThePrint reached Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, but he declined to comment.
In the context of political engagement, the Youth Congress has been actively involved in initiatives aimed at connecting with young voters. This includes efforts to address issues such as unemployment and skill development, which are crucial for the youth. For more insights on how political parties are competing to attract young voters, check out this article on how Congress & BJP are competing to woo youth in poll-bound MP.
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Raza’s release
According to Bhuria, having learnt of Raza’s imprisonment, he tried tracing his location through the oversees Youth Congress network. Raza’s family too, in the meantime, began running from pillar-to-post for his release and reached out to senior Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, B.V. Srinivas and even Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.
Raza’s uncle Shehzad Khan told ThePrint that they brought the matter to the notice of Singh who wrote to the Indian embassy, seeking intervention into the matter.
“We went to the Saudi embassy and the Indian embassy, but they insisted that we get the agent. The agent refused to come, which delayed the whole process,” said Shehzad.
आपने सही कहा @KashifKakvi जी
भारत सरकार को कई पत्र लिखने के बाद बड़ी मुश्किल से निवाड़ी एमपी का यह नौजवान वापस आ पाया। @INCIndia @RahulGandhi @Jairam_Ramesh #BharatJodoYatra https://t.co/VYcJW2R9OQ
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) October 13, 2023
In the Saudi prison, Raza was kept allegedly isolated for over two months. “I pleaded to the prison authorities to allow me to make a call, after which I was allowed to make one call home, and I informed my family that I was fine. But I was regularly questioned through a translator and asked about my political affiliations. They also asked me if I was connected to international political organisations. It is through the questioning that I learnt that I was being accused of being a political agent,” Raza said.
According to Raza, with his mental health deteriorating in the isolated prison, he was taken to a psychiatrist on whose advice he was moved to another cell with other inmates.
Five months later, Raza said, a Saudi investigating officer informed him that a complaint had been sent through the BJP’s IT Cell that projected him “as an agent who had come to Mecca to further his political agenda”.
“The investigating officer assured me that he had done his investigation and that I would be released soon. It was the first time that someone actually told me that I will be free again,” said Raza, who returned to Niwari on 3 October.
Back home, he was given a warm welcome by his family. Ravindra Ghosh, a Congress leader from Niwari, termed Raza “a true Congress worker” and said “we gave him a grand welcome”.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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