New Delhi: Members of civil society, religious leaders and prominent citizens have written to the Home Minister of India and expressed concern over the arrests of social activists and student leaders by the Delhi Police. They have urged the Home Minister to direct the Delhi Police to refrain from harassing activists during the lockdown and targeting people from a particular community. The full text of their letter is as follows:

To,                                                                                                                                          Date: 09 April 2020
Shri Amit Shah
The Home Minister of India
New Delhi

Subject: Joint statement by Muslim organizations and civil society over crackdown on Social Activists

Dear Amit Shah ji,

India along with the entire world is currently passing through an unprecedented health crisis and a pandemic caused by the Coronavirus. We are all co-operating with the government and law-enforcement agencies to give a strong fight to COVID19 and to enforce the lockdown, which is aimed to contain the spread of virus. Many of us are engaged in providing emergency help for stranded laborers and the poor sections of the society by giving them free food and shelter during these difficult times. However, it has come to our notice that during the process of lockdown, there have been a series of detentions and arrests of social activists and student leaders carried out by the Delhi Police. Upon preliminary study, it appears that the police crackdown is directed against those involved in the peaceful anti-CAA-NRC movement, which was undertaken for the protection of our Constitution, democratic ethos and civil liberties. We have observed that highly respected social activists are being implicated in false cases related to the North East Delhi riots of 2020.

These activists are being asked to come to the police stations for interrogation during the lockdown. At this time, when the courts are partially working and communication is limited due to the lockdown, these steps are tantamount to unnecessary harassment by the Delhi Police and causing immense anxiety and difficulty to these law-abiding citizens who are currently engaged in social work and helping the poor and needy.

We the undersigned appeal to you to direct the Delhi Police to refrain from harassing activists during the pandemic and the lockdown and targeting people from a particular community. The Delhi Police has a reputation for being one of the best policing units in our country. We hope they desist from action that would harm its reputation and give scope for people to level accusations of bias and non-professional conduct when the whole world is struggling to come to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic. The anti-CAA-NRC protests were called off because of the Coronavirus pandemic. If such excesses by the police continue and ordinary citizens and social activists become the target of vindictive action, then it would be difficult for them to protect their fundamental rights with limited access to legal remedies during lockdown period.

Thanks and regards

• Maulana Tauqeer Raza, President , Milli Ittehad Parishad
• Mr Udit Raj (ex-MP)
• Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, Chairman, Minority Commission, Delhi
• Mr Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, Ameer Jamaat e Islami Hind
• Mr Ravi Nair , President , SAHRDC
• Maulana Asghar Ali Salfi , Ameer Markazi Jamiat Ahlehadis
• Dr Manzoor Alam , Chairman, IOS
• Maulana Syed Tanvir Hashmi, President Ahle Sunnat Waljamat Karnataka
• Mr Prashant Tandon, Sr Journalist & Analyst
• Mr Navaid Hamid , President , AIMMM
• Ms Uzma Naheed , Founder IIWA
• Mr Anil Chamadia Sr Journalist
• Mr M A Khaliq, Fr Administrative Officer, Columnist, Educationist
• Mr Shamshad Advocate SC
• Mr Ehteshamul Haq, Advocate SC
• Prof Ms Hasina Hashiya , Milli Council
• Mr Ambrish Roy, Sr RTE Activist
• Mr Labid Shafi President, Student Islamic Organization of India
• Prof Salim Engineer, GS , Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity
• Mr Siraj Sait, Banglore. GS IUML
• Mr Md Sulaiman , President INL
• Mr SQR Ilyas , President WPI
• Mr TA Rahmani , President MPCI
• Mr Mashkur Usmani, Student leader AMU
• Mr Mujtaba Farooq, Director Public Relations – JIH

Issued by:
Media Department,
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind