Muslim League to provide legal aid to victims of Muslim witch-hunt
text_fields
Malappuram: The National Committee of Muslim League has decided to provide legal aid to those activists who were jailed after being subjected to state terrorism.
The decision comes in the wake of arrests of students of Jamia Millia Islamia Safoora Zargar, Meeran Haider, Shifaurrahma, an alumnus of the institution, Gulshifa, who led Shaheen Bagh model protest in Seelampur and Delhi Minority Commission chairman Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan who was booked with charges including sedition.
The leaders said that Muslim League will stand up for those who are incarcerated behind jails, and make efforts to get them justice, with financial and political support. Safoora Zargar, who is in Tihar jail is in her fourth month of pregnancy. Meeran Haider and Shifaurrahman earned attention through their protests against Citizenship Amendment Act.
Gulshifa, who was spearheading the Shaheen Bagh model protest in Seelampur, was arrested after being slapped with UAPA charges. Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan is being hunted without any consideration of his being a head of a constitutional body.
Dr. Kafeel Khan, who was granted bail by a court, is still behind bars after being slapped with charges under National Security Act. All arrests show that a particular community is being targeted. These people have not committed anything wrong other than raising bitter truths during the anti-CAA protests.
The national committee noted that it is unprecedented that victims of violence are charged again with charges of conspiracy, while those who exhorted “Desh ki gaddarom ko goli maro (gun down the traitors)” slogans are roaming free.
These students’ names did not figure even in FIRs prepared by the police during the Delhi violence. However, later several charges were slapped on them including illegal gathering, organizing with arms, conspiracy for violence, attempt to murder and others as part of a revengeful scheme. This is part of the agenda of the BJP government to silence those who would protest against the government in the future. This should not be allowed to pay off, the Committee asserted.
The jailed activists are representatives of all those who ar speak up for civil rights. One cannot allow India becoming a land of curbing minorities’ rights. The relatives of those who have been jailed are undergoing tremendous agony. A democratic society cannot leave them forlorn.
Muslim League had raised this issue in the parliament earlier. Its MPs had sent letters pointing out that arrests of students by slapping sedition charges were nothing less than anti-democratic. The party’s strong condemnation was conveyed to the prime minister.
Though constrained in lockdown measures, Muslim League staged national level protest on 6th May. Thousands of emails registering complaints, were sent to the home minister.
Symbolic protests were staged in front of the central government offices. Several party workers organized home protest by displaying placards. The party's students' wing, MSF through its national committee organized a video protest in social media. The party and its feeder organisations will continue protests through all possible means. Besides these, the victims of state terrorism shall be guaranteed legal assistance.
The service of top lawyers will be ensured after discussing with the families of the victims. The party will ensure financial assistance for this. The party will stand firm with the families until justice delivered, the statement issued to the press said.
