United Against Hate, Students Islamic Organisation and All India Students Association call his incarceration “unust’
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Anti-CAA activist and student leader Meeran Haider completed 600 days of incarceration. To mark the occasion groups of activists and students on Monday launched a fresh campaign for his release.
Haider was arrested last year in April on charges of instigating Delhi riots. Critics, however, believe that he is being punished for being part of protestors who were opposed to Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Human rights defenders have been demanding his release along with other anti-CAA activists.
On Monday, activists of United Against Hate (UAH), Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) and All India Students Association (AISA) launched a campaign on Twitter.
Demanding his release, UAH called his incarceration “600 Days of Unjust Imprisonment, 600 Days of Injustice”.
600 Days of Unjust Imprisonment
600 Days of Injustice
600 Days Without Bail#ReleaseMeeranHaider #MeeranHaider pic.twitter.com/vY83WWmRsd— United Against Hate (@UahIndia) November 22, 2021
AISA’s Delhi University unit called his imprisonment “600 Days of Incarceration”. It also demanded the release of all anti-CAA activists, political prisoners and the repeal of UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
600 days of Injustice!
Release Meeran Haider Immediately.#ReleaseMeeranHaider#ReleaseAllPoliticalprisoners pic.twitter.com/M8EsfYzPL4
— AISA – Delhi University (@aisa_du) November 22, 2021
Jamia Millia Islamia unit of SIO called his imprisonment “wrongful incarceration” and demanded his release.
600 Days of Injustice.#ReleaseMeeranHaider#ReleaseAllPoliticalPrisoners pic.twitter.com/dsuFDgGHf3
— SIO – Jamia Millia Islamia (@SIOJamia) November 22, 2021
Talking about the activism of Haider, Safoora Zargar, one of the anti-CAA activists who was arrested and released on similar charges as that of Haider, expressed her pain over the suffering of Haider. She also gave call for the release of all political prisoners.
“No protest can be successful if it works on a ‘holier than thou’ principle. If it does not pick up the causes of others before them as its own. It is bound to fail in the larger construct of the movement. The movement to free India of hate,” she said.
She urged “all stakeholders to unite. To come to a common minimum programme it’s essential to resist all forms of criminalisation of protestors and protests. The demand to release political prisoners is central to CMP & must be raised unequivocally by all allies”.
From one of our campus protests in 2018. So used to seeing @MeeranJamia in and around Jamia that it dznt give me the same vibe without him. We met briefly in police custody before being sent to JC and he was certainly more hopeful than me. Today he completes 600 days in prison. pic.twitter.com/MikUcMu1Cs
— Safoora Zargar (@SafooraZargar) November 22, 2021
Writer Abhay Kumar asked whether Haider is ‘in jail because he comes from a marginalised community?”.
600 days have passed since Jamia scholar Meeran Haider was arrested.
Is he in jail because he comes from a marginalised community? #ReleaseMeeranHaider#MeeranHaider #ReleaseAllPoliticalPrisoners #ReleaseAllDetainees#Jamia#jamiamilliaislamia#sharjeel#UmarKhalid pic.twitter.com/bBaQW5dn7D
— Dr. Abhay Kumar (@abhaykumarjnu) November 22, 2021
Student leader Fahad Ahmed called Haider “our hero”.
600 Day’s of injustice!
Meeran Haider Research scholar of JMI languishing behind bar’s for raising voice against state incarceration of Muslims
Meeran is our hero, #RepealUAPA #FreeMeeranHaider pic.twitter.com/PjVb5kZ7FX
— Fahad Ahmad (@FahadZirarAhmad) November 22, 2021