Jaipur, 27 March 2014: Various civil society organizations under the leadership of Rajasthan zone of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind got together to strongly condemn the police for violating rules while detaining Muslim youths, and media for branding them terrorists within minutes of arrest. Civil society groups held a joint press conference here on 26 March.

Earlier this week, six youths were picked from Jaipur and Delhi in a joint operation of Special Cell of Delhi police and Rajasthan Police for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to target some politicians. However, three of the youths were let off within 24 hours for lack of evidence.

Addressing the press conference, Mohammad Salim Engineer, Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said police have violated rules while arresting these youths. “Neither any warrant was shown nor neighbours taken into confidence while detaining or arresting these youths,” he said.

Prem Krishna Sharma, Rajasthan president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties said the police announced recovery of explosives from these youths but they did not say in whose presence these materials were recovered and if they took signature of any witness.

JIH secretary Salim Engineer also criticized a section of the media for declaring the youths as terrorists soon after the detention.

Several other leaders of the civil society also denounced media for the biased reporting on these arrests.

Sawai Singh, Coordinator of Sadbhav Manch Rajasthan, said media declared Merajuddin (who was picked from Jaipur) as a dreaded terrorist but the very next day the Delhi police released him finding him innocent. The biased reporting “has sullied the image of Merajuddin and his family,” said Singh.

Merajuddin’s father Neyazuddin asked the pressmen: Who is responsible for making a bad image of my son? How will he now go to college with his classmates?

Qari Moinuddin, Convenor of Rajasthan Muslim Forum said Police have maligned their own image by detaining innocent students. But “Fear and terror have griped the entire Muslim community,” he said.

Relatives of some of the arrested youths also talked to the press and said their boys are innocent and wrongly implicated in the case.

The civil society leaders announced to hold a big protest demonstration on Friday (28 March) at Moti Dungri Road in Jaipur.

The joint press conference was organized at Indiana Classic Hotel in Rajasthan’s capital city Jaipur.