Eight arrested in Saharanpur for pro-Palestinian march; families claim unjust targeting of Muslims
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – A Muslim employee posted at the electricity department was dismissed from his job for waving the Palestinian flag on the day of Eid Al-Fitr in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district.
On Friday, the authorities issued a letter directing the dismissal of the contract worker, Shaqib Khan, on charges of his involvement in “anti-national activities” alluding to his waving the Palestinian flag.
The company employing the contract worker received a letter from the electricity department officials, instructing them to terminate him.
Khan was posted as a contractual employee at the Kailashpur power substation in Saharanpur city. On the day of Eid, Saqib waved the Palestinian flag and posted a photo on Facebook.
The Superintendent Engineer of the electricity department, Shishir Kumar Chahi, stated that Saqib was working at the Chhutmalpur feeder of Kailashpur. When the matter came to light and was investigated, it was deemed an anti-national activity. The department acted immediately and wrote to the concerned contracting company to terminate Khan’s employment. The letter stated that Saqib should be dismissed and the department should be informed promptly.
The department took a strict stance and issued immediate orders for his dismissal. In a post put out by Khan, a few young men are seen holding the Palestinian flag. Two children are also seen standing with them. The photo appears to have been clicked outside a Muslim religious site.
On Eid day, a large crowd took out a spontaneous march at Ghanta Ghar in Saharanpur city, waving Palestinian flag and raising slogans after offering prayers. The video of the incident has since gone viral.
Earlier, the police arrested eight people and sent them to jail after registering a case against about 60 people, eight of them being named. Based on viral videos, the police are still searching for other individuals.
They were booked under BNS Sections 189(3) (unlawful assembly), 189(5) (statements conducing to public mischief), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant). Those arrested included Mohd Uzaif, Mohd Falak, Abdul Kareem, Uzaif Khan and Abdul Raheem, said Saharanpur police.
The incident has sparked controversy, with families of the detained individuals claiming they were unjustly targeted. Among those arrested was Mohd Falak, 40, who was picked up from his home in Janak Nagar. His mother, Akbari, accused the police of misconduct, saying, “Around 2 pm, 15 to 20 cops stormed into our house, where only women and children were present. When I questioned them, they misbehaved with us. There were no female officers, nor did they have a warrant.” She added that Falak was detained immediately after he came home after offering Eid prayers.
The police in Uttar Pradesh and other states are hyperactive when it comes to taking action against Palestinian supporters. Dozens were arrested in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and other states just for their pro-Palestine activities including the waving of the Palestinian flag and social media posts supporting the Palestinians.
