100 Days Behind Bars: Family, Eminent Citizens Demand Release of Umar, Political Prisoners

Date:

Umar Khalid

‘Khalid should be released not only because he is an advantage for society but also because his human rights are being curtailed by putting him behind bars’

Waquar Hasan | Clarion India

NEW DELHI – On the 100th day of social activist Umar Khalid’s arrest, eminent citizens, including Rajmohan Gandhi and TM Krishna, and family members on Wednesday demanded that Khalid and other political prisoners, including Khalid Saifi, be released immediately.

In a virtual meeting themed ‘Chand Roz Aur’ (A few days more), Khalid’s mother Sabiha Khanum and Saifi’s wife Nargis said that their family members and other political prisoners were arrested because they raised their voices against the government and injustices.

Khalid has been arrested by the Delhi police in connection with Delhi riots in September under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Demanding immediate release of Khalid, prominent historian and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi Rajmohan Gandhi said, “I am a biographer. I’ve studied the lives of some unusual human beings. From what I have read and learnt about Umar, his life intrigues me. I would like to know why a brilliant young man within easy reach of wealth, comfort and pleasure threw himself into the lives and struggles of Adivasis. Why did he allow the sufferings of others to fill his heart and mind, leaving little room for personal dreams?”

He said that Khalid should be released not only because he was an advantage for society but also because his human rights were being curtailed by putting him behind bars.

“Anyone saying today that freedom of thought, speech and belief should be the right of a Hindu but not of a Muslim, Sikh, Christian or atheist, would go frontally against the Indian Constitution–and against the human conscience,” he said.

Sabiha, Khalid’s mother, said the crime of her son and other political prisoners was that they raised their voice against the government and its black laws like the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA).” The government is suppressing all dissenting voices. They want to eliminate the anti-government voice.”

She said that in the case of Umar, a story was already written by the Delhi police who were under Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the story was later fitted into him. “Umar was not present in Delhi at the time of communal riots.”

Talking about the impact of the defamation of her son by the media on her family, she said that her daughter’s friend was reprimanded by her family and stopped her from going home “when they came to know that her daughter was the sister of Umar. This environment is being created by the media against Umar”.

“It’s our responsibility to launch a movement for the release of all political prisoners. I want to say to the oppressors that this injustice will be defeated one day. We are not going to be afraid of anyone,” she resolved.

Nargis, Saifi’s wife, said that her husband was arrested because he raised voice against injustice. On February 26, when Saifi was going to talk to the police, he was arrested and his mobile was snatched. The family was not told anything about the arrest and where Saifi was kept. On January 27, she found that her husband, who was healthy, was wheel-chair-bound. He had an injury on his hand. The police had pulled his hair and beard.

In a letter to his lawyer, Saifi had said he was tortured by policemen. He was bleeding from his nose. The leg bone was fractured. Communal slurs were thrown at him. When he told the policemen that he was not able to walk, they started laughing.

“When he was being taken to the Mandoli jail, the policemen told him that he would be ‘encountered’ on that day. Despite being seriously injured, he was not hospitalised at that time. He was given bail in two cases. In a case, the judge said that he was being implicated in the case” said Nargis talking about Saifi’s torture.

She asked in a heavy tone that if the protest was a crime, the government should put all the people who were protesting against the CAA in jail. “Why are they picking only some people”

She said that all political prisoners were being implicated. “What kind of government is this? They want to intimidate us. We are not going to be intimidated. They can put all of us in the jail. We won’t bow down”.

Prominent rights activist Harsh Mander said that the times the country was going through was the blackest days of Independent India. Emergency was dangerous when freedom of speech was abolished and many people were thrown behind bars. But at that time it was not being done because of hatred and religion.

He said that Khalid’s only crime was that he dreamt of an India where everyone was treated with equality.

“Most of those who were arrested for anti-CAA protests are students, Muslims and leftists. Every protest whether it is anti-CAA protest or farmer protests, they were termed by the government as ‘urban naxal’ and ‘anti-national’ forces. In these protests, people from different religions and sections are joining. This is the India for which freedom fighters fought. This is what the Constitution wants,” he said.

Kavita Lankesh, sister of journalist Gauri Lankesh who was assassinated in 2017, also demanded Khalid’s release. “He is like a brother to me. When Khalid was arrested, I was deeply disturbed.”

TM Krishna, singer and writer, expressed his solidarity with Khalid and all political prisoners. He has identified himself as an anti-CAA protester. He also recited the prominent Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s revolutionary poem ‘hum dekhenge’.

Sandeep Saurav, Bihar MLA from CPI (ML), said the arrest of these activists showed that there was no democracy in India, and the government was crushing the farmer protests.

“The present time is a virtual emergency. This is different from the emergency as during the emergency, those who fought for people used to have respect among people at that time. Now, those who fight for people are being defamed.”

theclarionindia
theclarionindiahttps://clarionindia.net
Clarion India - News, Views and Insights about Indian Muslims, Dalits, Minorities, Women and Other Marginalised and Dispossessed Communities.

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