New Delhi, June 2, 2020: Prominent leaders from Opposition parties have condemned the arrests of scholars and activists amid the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown.
During an online news conference on June 1, the leaders supported those scholars and demanded that the government inquire into the real culprits who spread hate speech leading to communal violence.
“There’s a need for a united political movement to oppose this government,” said CPI general secretary D. Raja, who wants Home Minister Amit Sha held responsible for the Delhi police actions against peaceful protestors in the anti-CAA mass movement before the lockdown. The Delhi police report to the federal home minister.
NCP leader Majeed Memon highlighted that Delhi Police purposely delayed First Information Reports against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who had engaged in hate speech hours before the massive communal rioting.
Manoj Jha, a Member of Parliament from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, echoed support for activists saying that theirs is a constitutional fight and they, as leaders, would not allow the efforts to go to waste.
The conference also referred to turmoil in the United States over the police brutality against African-American George Floyd.
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain remarked that the whole US boiled up in anger with the killing of one man whereas India witnesses lynching and torture of people every day only because they belong to a particular community.
He mentioned people such as Safoora Zargar, Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Shifa Ur-Rahman and others who were arrested during the lockdown under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Hussain demanded the release of the arrested. He urged people with democratic values to rise against such arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of rights activists as they were being falsely accused of inciting Delhi pogrom against Muslims claiming 53 lives, hundreds of injuries and major loss of property.
The conference ended on a note to fellow politicians to act immediately to support those being prosecuted under false accusations.
Source: twocircles.net