Demands judicial inquiry into polices, access on unarmed Muslim protesters, custodial torture and demolition of Muslim houses.

Team Clarion

NEW DELHI – The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has condemned the highhandedness of the police and the administration in Ranchi in Jharkhand, Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and other places in the country during protests by Muslims. The Jamaat demanded an impartial judicial inquiry into the police excesses on unarmed protesters, who were agitating against the derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad, demolition of their houses, custodial torture.

In a media statement, JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini, said, “What the police have done in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand with the peacefully protesting Muslims on June 10 amounts to throttling democracy and rule of law.”

Husaini also made an impassioned appeal to the Muslim community to use their discretion while exercising their democratic right to conduct peaceful protests. Never fall into the trap of antisocial elements who wish to create divisions within society.

Yesterday, immediately after the demolition of Javed Mohammad’s house at Prayagraj, the JIH President tweeted terming the action of the administration ‘something which no civilised society could ever imagine’ and that ‘police itself is blatantly trying to make an end to the rule of law.’

Reiterating his stand the actions of the administration, Husani said, “Pulling down the house of someone simply because he criticises the policies of the government considering them against the larger public interest, or shooting someone protesting to express his/her grievance is something unimaginable for any civilised society. This smacks of vendetta politics.”

Condemning the move of the administration in the strongest terms, the statement read: “We feel it sends a wrong message to the people of our country undermining their confidence in the rule of law and thereby increase the unrest. If the UP government has any respect for the law, it should compensate the losses and take stringent action against the officials responsible it immediately.”

Demanding the independent judicial enquiry into Ranchi firing and in which two youths lost their lives and exemplary punishment for the erring officials, Jamaat president said, “Had timely and appropriate action been taken against the guilty of blasphemy against the Prophet, these untoward incidents would not have taken place. The kind of stone-pelting took place during the protests as shown in some videos in circulation on social media points to some kind of conspiracy in the chain of events.”

Husaini said, “The JIH feels the action taken against Javed Mohammed, a well-known social and human rights activist in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, smacks of vendetta politics. He also reminded that Javed and his family denied any of them had taken part in Friday’s (June 10) protest and that the house demolished was also owned by his wife, and not him.