Activist couple Ekta and Ravi Shekhar who were arrested in the anti-CAA protests in Varanasi last year on December 19, 2019 were released on bail today on Wednesday, December 2, 2020. The couple run an NGO, Climate Agenda and reunited with their 14-month-old baby girl Champak who was being taken care of by her grandmother in their absence.

“My baby daughter Champak is dependent on my milk, I was worried about her. It was very tough for me,” Ekta told news agency ANI after she was released.

Sheela Tiwari, Champak’s grandmother had earlier told The Indian Express that she was struggling to take care of the infant who used to cry for her mother as she had never been left alone since her birth.

Speaking about Ekta’s arrest, she further told the publication, “On Thursday, around 11 am Ekta left the house saying she is going to buy milk and diapers for Champak. But around 3 pm, I got a call that she and Ravi have been arrested. In the past, they have been detained by police for protests but every time they have returned in a few hours. This time, we kept waiting and they did not come. Around an hour later, I got another call saying their phones will be taken away and there will be no more calls.”

Social activist Muniza Khan who was among those rallying for the release of activists on the ground in Varanasi spoke with Sabrang India about the developments. She said, “Fifty-six of those who were arrested in Benia Bagh on December 19 during the anti-CAA protests are still in custody. I, along with other members – Father Anand, Dr. Arif and other members from Varanasi went to meet the students and activists who were housed in Chowkaghat prison. We were inspected before being allowed to the prison to meet the detainees. Ekta Shekhar, who was in jail since December 19 and who has a 14-month-old daughter waiting at home, was released earlier today at 8:30 A.M. Saniya khan is still in custody because some of the papers related to her release require some corrections. We met Manish Sharma, Sanjeev Singh, Anup Shramik, Dhananjay Tripathi and Ram Janam Yadav among others.” She said that apart from Manish Sharma, Anup Shramik and SP Rai, she was hopeful of the others being released today.

“Those arrested said they conduct daily meetings in prisons which has brought them closer and made the resolve of fighting the CAA even stronger. They have decided to hold a press conference as soon as they’re released and urge more people to join their movement. They will also talk about the false charges they’ve been framed under and approach the High Court if needed, for these cases to be quashed” she added.

When Khan questioned them about the facilities and the jail environment they said that though the total capacity is meant to only house 747 people, currently 2,199 people have been lodged there. There is a queue for the communal toilet. Khan says that those arrested were not given basic utilities like a quilt or pillows and only when they appealed the authorities for the same, were they granted it. The food is said to be edible, but the arrested activists and students noticed that the newspaper that was circulated in prison was cut out in various places, indicating that there was an attempt to cover up important and sensitive information. Even news related to them was torn out of the papers.

Khan also found out that the youngest and oldest of those who were arrested from Benia Bagh were 17-year-old Shahid and 83-year-old Ram Nath Pandey. She said, “We have been trying that all the arrested, even Sharma, Shramik and Rai who’ve been kept back after being slapped with new charges, are released this week. The condition in Varanasi is not good at the moment. People are being intimidated and they are being threatened saying that if they come out to the streets to protest, they will be charged under serious offences. This is the dictatorial attitude of the government, but even now people from every religion, caste and status are standing brave in the face of fear stating that they will stand united to oppose the CAA, no matter what fate befalls them.”

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Anti-CAA activists arrested in UP to spend New Year in jail

The post Activist couple released from prison for anti-CAA protest after 12 days appeared first on SabrangIndia.

All 56 people arrested in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Varanasi have been released on bail by the court. However, three of the released – Manish Sharma, SP Rai and Anup Shramik have been taken into custody on another charge of distribution of pamphlets related to the protest and have been booked under sections 153 A and 153 B. They will have to now have to make a fresh appeal to be granted a bail in the matter.

Though the FIR was registered against an unknown person, Sharma, Rai and Shramik had been booked under these charges because their contact numbers were mentioned on the stated pamphlet.

In the past 12 days, some students and social activists had been arrested on serious charges of inciting riots and stoking violence in peaceful agitations during the anti-CAA protests. They had been arrested from the Chetganj area while marching to Benia Bagh ground on December 19, 2019. Due to the holiday season, their cases were pushed for hearing to January 1, 2020.

56 people were granted bail by the Judge Sarvesh Kumar Pandey of the Varanasi court of Additional Sessions on the submission of two bonds of Rs. 25,000 each.

Activists related to the Sajha Sanskriti Manch had taken to social media and signed an online campaign, making an appeal to the government and district administration to expedite the release of over 25 students and activists arrested in the peaceful protests. In its appeal, it had mentioned that different organizations had come together to protest the CAA nationwide. Some activists affiliated with the Sajha Sanskriti Manch had gathered at the Gandhi Chaura for a prayer meeting during which the police arrested them and put them in buses to take them towards the police station. Even though the protest was entirely peaceful, the state spun a conspiracy against these social and political activists and booked them under criminal charges, rendering them to stay in custody for 12 days.

The locals of Benia Bagh had participated in the peaceful protest and even though the police tried to intimidate the people, they did not let the protest turn violent. The activists too allowed the police to arrest them without causing any unrest. They were told that for violating prohibitory orders, they were being charged under Section 151, but on reaching the police station, other charges too were slapped against them. Among those arrested were 12 students from the Benaras Hindu University and more than 10 others were senior citizens among the ages of 60 – 80 with serious health ailments.

Well-known social activists Ravi Kumar and his wife Ekta Shekhar who have been raising the issue of air pollution throughout the state were also among those arrested. Their 14-month-old toddler had to be without them as they were sent to custody for more than two weeks.

Another environmental activist Saniya Anwar too was lodged in jail. Veteran trade union leader Prakash Rai, farmer issues representative Ram Janam, District organizer for national public protests Satish Singh, research students Dhananjay Tripathi, Divakar Singh, Raj Abhishek, Deepak ingh, Ravi Prakash Bharti, human rights activist Dr. Anup Shramik, Cheddi Lal Nirala, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Rajnath Pandey, Gaurav Mani Tripathi, Prashant Rai, Arpit Giri, Jay Shankar Singh among other people who have contributed to social causes around Varanasi and its surrounding areas were among the ones arrested.

The above mentioned activists have been involved in different social, cultural and creative activities for decades and never has once a criminal charge been registered against them. It is only in this instance to intimidate them that they have been wrongly booked under such serious offences.

The Sajha Sanskriti Manch condemns these arrests and feels that arresting protestors who exercise their democratic right to a peaceful protest and clubbing them with anti-social elements or miscreants who purposely incite violence is a grave folly of the authorities.

Related:

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Adityanath’s UP launched a brutal crackdown on HR defenders, Muslims: #anti-CAA, anti-NRC-NPR

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Police deny permission for holding Jashn-e-Ekta on New Year’s Eve. Also raise concern about protest by women and transgender people under CrPC section 149.

On New Year’s Eve activists and performers were all set to come together in Mumbai to hold a concert titled Unity Rocks: Jashn-e-Ekta. The pro-democracy event was in the words of the organisers a “cultural gathering to celebrate peace, unity and secularism”. But the Mumbai Police did not grant permission for the event that was to take place at Carter Road.

According to the organisers, “Different excuses were given at different stages, including bandobast for new years and Bhima Koregaon event. The organising team was asked to remove every reference of protest on Citizenship Amendment Act from the event and not use any banners/ materials indicating the same. After involvement of the commissioner of police, the organisers were informed that they want to scrutinise the content and line up and had a problem with inclusion of two artist bands – Yalgaar and Samta Kala Manch. We were also asked to cut the time from 4 hours to 2 hours and produce censor board certificates.”

This is a clear clampdown on people’s right to protest peacefully. In asking organisers to remove references to CAA, police also appear to be overstepping their mandate. But, what is truly bizarre is the demand for censor board certificates given how public performances by any band our troupe do not require certification from the censor board!

Also, both, Yalgaar (of Muktiwadi Sangathan Maharashtra) and Samta Kala Manch, are groups that are known for being rooted in folk and subaltern cultures, using their music as a tool for empowerment. This clampdown can therefore be seen as an attempt to silence dissent by subaltern communities, and therefore as an act of oppression. Defending their choice of performers, the organisers say, “Yalgaar is well known for its soulful music inspired by folk music and celebrating culture from working class communities across Maharashtra, and raises important questions of caste inequities, dalit rights and breaks caste barriers through its music. Samta Kala Manch sings powerful songs for the rights of the oppressed and marginalised sections of society, and for caste annihilation and elimination of inequality based on class, caste, religion and any other identity. Through their conscious music, both artists uphold constitutional values and democratic rights and follow the tradition of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule, Mahatma Phule and other leaders and freedom fighters who have advocated equality and justice.”

But the Mumbai police did not stop there. When a group of organisations working in the field of women’s rights and transgender empowerment wanted to hold a peaceful demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on January 3, the birth anniversary, the police responded by raising concerns under section 149 of the CrPC. This section says, “Every police officer may interpose for the purpose of preventing, and shall, to the best of his ability, prevent, the commission of any cognizable offence.” The application of this section allows for tremendous leeway on account of how vague it is in the present context.

The police’s response may be viewed here:

But now to be out-maneuvered by the crafty machinations of the Mumbai Police, the organisers, Sandhya Gokhale of Forum Against Oppression of Women, and Lara Jesani of Hum Bharat Ke Log, have responded to this with their own letter stating, “We have perused the contents of your letter/notice dated 1st Jan 2020 under section 149 of CRPC 1973, in response to our subject letter.

In light of the contents of your letter, which do not deny permission to hold the peaceful protest as intimated by us, we presume that there is no objection to us going ahead with the protest. This is to clarify that there is no question that any anti-national, communal or unlawful content will be used in this peaceful protest by us which we are holding in accordance with our constitutional rights. However, if any outsiders or troublemakers try to create problems, the same is not our responsibility. Needless to state, that if any unlawful activity takes place at the hands of such outsiders or troublemakers, police are required to take any appropriate action against them as per law. We trust you will cooperate with us in this regard.”    

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Privacy advocates on Monday raised concerns over reports that Indian security forces used facial recognition technology to identify dissidents at a political rally in December and warned that if left unchecked the government would continue to suppress dissent.

“The use of the system for profiling and surveillance at public congregations is illegal and unconstitutional,” digital advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation executive director Apar Gupta told The Independent. “It is an act of mass surveillance.”

We have put the Delhi Police to notice calling on it to urgently stop it’s facial recognition system. It is illegal and unconstitutional. 1/nhttps://t.co/IOx226RzPY

— Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) December 29, 2019

Internet Freedom Foundation on Sunday called for “a complete halt and recall” on police use of facial recognition. 

The technology was reportedly used on December 22 to screen attendees at a rally for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A police spokesperson described the identification process to The Indian Express, which broke the story on Saturday.

“Each attendee at the rally was caught on camera at the metal detector gate and live feed from there was matched with the facial dataset within five seconds at the control room set up at the venue,” the spokesperson said.

Minister Narendra Modi’s Ramlila Maidan rally on December 22 was the first political rally where Delhi Police used a facial recognition software to screen the crowd. Important story by ⁦@mazoomdaar⁩ #FacialRecognition #India https://t.co/zorwOLjAap

— Soutik Biswas (@soutikBBC) December 28, 2019

Such police use of facial recognition systems is not what the government ostensibly developed the resource for, political theorist Madhav Khosla explained at The Guardian Saturday, though the news of police using the technology for targeting dissent is unsurprising:

Automated facial recognition systems have been used to identify and to exclude protesters, based on earlier protest videos taped by police. The software used was originally developed to trace missing children. It is now being deployed to act against individuals, thereby not merely preventing them from protesting but doing so without any establishment of guilt. This year, the government issued a tender for an automated facial recognition system on a nationwide basis, whose end date has been extended five times. This is despite the absence of any clear legal framework to guide the use of such technology. The tender explicitly notes the benefits of the technology for crime prevention but omits any reference to privacy or sensitisation.

Concerns over the application of India’s National Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) on dissidents hinge on the centralization of information in the database. 

As Common Dreams reported, India’s crackdown on protest this month in the country over a citizenship bill stripping rights from the country’s 200 million-strong Muslim minority has led observers like famed author and dissident Arundhati Roy to call the current moment “the biggest challenge since independence.”

Madras Courier editor-in-chief Shrenik Rao on December 24 warned that the country is becoming a “brutal authoritarian state”:

Thriving on communal politics, Modi and his Home Affairs minister, Amit Shah, have turned the world’s largest democracy into an authoritarian state. Under this regime, India is no longer a liberal democracy but is holding on by the skin of its teeth to justify being considered even a nominal democracy.

… 

After their Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide victory in 2019, Modi and Amit Shah have pushed through – bulldozed – legislation in an authoritarian manner, suppressed dissenting voices with brutal state force, and locked up political opponents.

“India’s transformation into a police state becomes more real each day,” tweeted Johns Hopkins University professor Steve Hanke. “Modi and BJP’s radical Hindutva politics and complete disregard for freedom are to blame.”

The post ‘An Act of Mass Surveillance’: India Use of Facial Recognition Tech Against Protesters Angers Privacy Advocates appeared first on SabrangIndia.

India, the world’s largest democracy has seen many memorable protests this year. Not just in the winter, the protests throughout the country have sent shivers down the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) spine since the beginning of 2019. Everyone from the fisher folk to the forest dwellers to the students to the urban middle class have felt betrayed by the government and its inaction in key matters.

From Kashmir to Tamil Nadu, from Assam to Karnataka, and from Delhi to West Bengal, agitations against various issues have erupted throughout the country. As we wrap up the year, we’d like to bring to you some of the most important causes we Indians stood for in 2019.

Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) Protests

(Image Source – The Times of India)

(Image Courtesy – Reuters)

The government, when it announced its decision to implement the CAA, did not in its wildest dreams anticipate that it would cause such a stir in the country. Starting with Assam, the agitation spread to Delhi and then through the nation, where students came to the fore to oppose the Act that discriminated on religious grounds. While some protests went by peacefully, the massive police force used against students and civilians to quell dissent, especially in BJP ruled states, only made the country come closer to fight the unconstitutional Act.

Anti-Fee Hike Protests

2019 has been a tough year for students. Not only did they pick up the charge of the anti-CAA protests, but another cause they are still fighting for is the cause of quality and affordable education for all. Fee hikes were announced in different public universities, but the resistance was most visible from the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) who faced the ire of the state police and the government while they stood up against the slow privatization of educational institutions and the threat of denying education to those who wanted it the most.

Teachers stand up for their rights

(Image Courtesy – India TV News)

In 2019, the teachers from various organizations too got the short end of the stick from the public administration. While ad-hoc teachers at the Delhi University fought for their rights to be made permanent after loyally serving the University for years, over 40,000 teachers in Karnataka fought for their rightful dues that they hadn’t been paid in months. Elementary education teachers stood up in unity when they found out that they were going to be stripped off their titles with the government arbitrarily deciding that their degrees were no more valid. For jobs, pay and respect, teachers throughout the country came as one to demand what they deserved.

The fight for Jal, Jungle aur Zameen

From Odisha to Chhattisgarh to Maharashtra to Madhya Pradesh, thousands of Adivasis and forest dwellers appealed for their rights to natural resources to be recognized by the State. Activist groups supporting tribal communities brought people together to protest the violations of their people’s rights and the dilution of the Forest Rights Act. Forest dwellers have, for a very long time, faced illegal evictions from their habitat that they respect and preserve. This year, calling for protests against illegal mining, tree felling and evictions they stood in unity to protect their jal, jungle and zameen.

Saving Mumbai’s lungs: The Aarey Protests

This year, Mumbaikars came together to save their most prized possession, the lungs of the city – the vast cover of trees in the Aarey Colony. The BJP government had felled more than 2,700 trees in the dead of the night amid heavy protests, for the construction of a car shed for the Metro Rail project. This, just hours after the Supreme Court had disposed of all petitions pertaining to the ‘Save Aarey’ issue. FIRs were filed against protestors, who were then dragged to police stations and courts. Meanwhile, the Adivasis of Aarey, sorry for the fate that nature had to suffer at the hands of the state, asked for forgiveness from the trees they could not save.

Fisher folk agitate

At the start of the year, the fisher folk of India came together to oppose the new Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification issued by the Government of India which stood to drastically dilute the provisions for protecting the coastal ecosystem. Later in the year, they again arose in unity against the National Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill that was seen as a step to privatize the fishing industry, affecting thousands of traditional fishermen while allegedly supporting corporate entities.

The agitation for the protection and rights of women

From Sultanpur, to Unnao, to Hyderabad, the year 2019 was not a good year for the women of India. With some rape accused roaming free with impunity, some women in India – from young girls to the women from marginalized communities, were brutalized, with at least two instances of rape survivors being burnt by the accused who had been let out on bail. To reject the culture of misogyny and make public spaces safer, the women in India voiced their displeasure against the inefficiency of the police and the judiciary. They also voiced their displeasure at insensitive media coverage and unnecessary communalization of cases of sexual assault.

The unorganized sector agitation

(Image Courtesy – New Indian Express / Parveen Negi)

In 2019, a sea of red flags took over various cities of the country, with various workers coming together to fight for their rights. From anganwadi workers to mid-day meal workers and workers from different sectors like the automobile, electronic, garment, pharmaceuticals and other sectors rallied in over 20 states of the country against pitiable pay and working conditions, oppressive labour laws and attempts to privatize the public sector.

Kashmir’s Civil Disobedience Movement

(Image Courtesy – scmp.com)

In the wake of the abrogation of Article 370, the people of Kashmir started a new civil disobedience movement against the forces of oppression. Kashmir had been plunged into darkness and fear with their basic human rights rescinded, but instead of fighting back, they chose to respond with a non-violent protest. The Kashmiris chose to shut their shops and establishments to defy the military and register their protest.

The PMC protest

In September 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had imposed restrictions on the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank citing “major financial irregularities, failure of internal control and systems of the bank and wrong/under-reporting of its exposures under various Off-site Surveillance reports”. What ensued was widespread customer distress with none of them being able to withdraw their lifesavings from the bank due to the imposed restrictions. More than 5 people lost their lives due to the emotional and financial stress that they underwent due to the fault of the bank’s management in a bid to keep up their image. Today, on the last day of the year, the problems of the depositors have still not been solved and their hard-earned money is still locked in with no end of their problems in sight.

The protests that have taken place in India in the year 2019, show that it isn’t just one community that has been affected by the decisions and policies of the government. People from all spheres of life have been made to bear the brunt of the one-sided decisions and have now risen in dissent against the same. Though the continued protests show the inefficiency of the government to placate the fears of the citizens of the country, the fight of the people shows their commitment to maintain the nature of a democracy in the light of most of their protests being disregarded.

Related:

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Police Force sans Diversity: Poor rep of SCs, STs, Women, OBCs, Muslims Invisibilized

The post Up in Arms: A look at protests that rocked India in 2019 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The post Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA 2019) : A hate-driven move appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On December 21, 2019, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav had called for a bandh in Bihar against the unconstitutional Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). At the time, Additional Director General, Bihar Police, Jitendra Kumar had told reporters that around 1,550 preventive arrests had been made in connection with the bandh.

The protest was soon marred by violence, with clashes first erupting in Phulwari Sharif where at least 25 people were reported to be injured due to stone pelting by miscreants. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the armed district police were called in to rein in the violence, and they resorted to tear gas lobbing, lathi charge and firing.

On December 23, 2019, a fact-finding team under the aegis of the Human Rights Law Network and a CAA_NRC Legal Support Team visited the city of Aurangabad, Bihar to investigate the events which led to extreme police brutalities against the residents of the city in the wake of the protests.

On December 26 and 27, 2019, another team of 14 members from organizations like Aman Biradari, Mahila Samaj, National Alliance of People’s Movement, Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression along with the CAA_NRC Legal Support Team visited Phulwari Sharif near Patna to investigate the violence that had taken place during the bandh in the area.

Aurangabad Fact Finding

The fact finding team spoke to victims, locals, journalists, and the police and district administrations to understand what happened during the protest.

They report that the protest was peaceful till half past noon, but suddenly turned violent after some local leaders and miscreants allegedly affiliated to right wing engaged in a heated argument with the group of the protesters. Soon thereafter, stones were designedly pelted on the protestors near Jama Masjid, by few persons who were neither part of the protest nor local residents, with the intent to both delegitimize the protests which had protestors from all religious communities as also to communalize the issue, that is, to make it primarily a ‘Hindu versus Muslim’ issue. To which the protesting group also retaliated by resorting to pelting of stones. The local administration and the police did intervene. However, subsequently, and under the garb of maintaining public order, the police allegedly unleashed exceptional brutality on the residents of five colonies being Qureshi Mohallah, Shahganj, Islam Toli, Pathan Toli and Ansar Bagh.

The police dispersed the hostile groups and headed to the neighbourhoods mentioned above. Aman, (name changed) a victim and local resident, deposed “the police team, barged into the residences, damaged private vehicles, ransacked homes (includes firing of teargas shells inside homes), assaulted men, women and children inside their homes. They also looted them of their money and jewellery, damaged/broke appliances, furniture, utensils, grills, hand-pumps and many other household articles.”

Men, women and children alike, sustained injuries. Accounts from locals say that there were no female police personnel were part of these raids and the women were allegedly dragged by their hair by the male police personnel. More than 12 people sustained injuries, with 4 being in a critical condition after having sustained multiple fractures and other external injuries. A total of 39 people were arrested till December 23^rd, including 3 women and 3 minors.

Sahil (name changed), a victim and eye witness told the team, “Even the senior police and administrative officers were involved in pelting of stones inside homes.” In one of the videos collected by the team, the District Magistrate, Aurangabad could be seen holding stones in his hand.

In sum and substance, the police allegedly unleashed exceptional brutality and terror with impunity in Muslim neighbourhoods. Residents claimed that this was done in unity by the State Government, District Administration and the local police just to remind the people of the community that they were lesser beings. An FIR was also registered by the local administration against 84 named accused and 100-150 unnamed people for offences punishable under the Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act, among other sections of the IPC, mostly on manufactured accusations.

Phulwari Sharif Fact Finding

According to the fact-finding team, multiple incidences of violence took place in various parts of Phulwari Sharif, all of which were allegedly organized by right-wing forces.

On 21st December, 2019, protestors assembled near Tumtum Padav which is a central location in Phulwari Sharif. A larger gathering was at Thana Chowk where the maximum police force was deployed. A smaller group which was at Tumtum Padav attempted to move forward on the main road towards Sangat Muhallah. In the meanwhile, stone pelting started from the rooftops of different buildings in Sangat Mohalla to which the group of the protestors also retaliated by resorting to stone pelting. In the meantime, dozens of gun shots were also fired from the side of Sangat Muhallah. At around 12:30 pm, a man was apprehended by a group of right wing associates and was inflicted a dagger blow. Allegedly, a Hanuman Idol was also damaged.

The team reported that in total, 7 protestors sustained gunshot injuries, with shots being fired by the residents of the Sangat Mohalla, allegedly linked to right-wing forces. The same finds corroboration from the testimony of the S.H.O., Phulwari Sharif. In the violence, 2 critically injured constables were admitted to AIIMS Hospital. An 8-year-old boy, Amir Hanzala, was missing from the place of occurrence and a single woman, a resident of Phulwari Sharif allegedly faced mob violence at her house by the right-wing forces with around a 100 men pelting stones at her and her family.

It was also found that that though the police had the situation under control by around 3 PM, at 4:30 PM, a group of young men entered the Haroon Colony waving pistols and hurling abuses. They pelted stones at some aged persons and though the police was present there, it didn’t intervene.

The police later registered an FIR against 101 named and 1000 unnamed people for offences punishable under Section 307 and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 49 people were arrested in the matter.

An FIR was also registered in the case pertaining to the disappearance of Amir Hanzala, and from discussions with the police personnel, journalists and other witnesses, there is serious apprehension regarding his safety. However, it is prima facie clear that the police, for inexplicable reasons, have not taken adequate emergent measures to trace/recover the missing boy. The aggrieved father of the boy has been unfailingly visiting the police station for over a week, where from he is yet to get any valuable information.

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While protests across the country have seen students being fired at, peaceful protestors being detained and also suspension of internet, Uttar Pradesh has become a state that has seen the worst until now. With a BJP government in majority, and a Chief Minister like Yogi Adityanath who conforms to the Centre’s plan of action, Uttar Pradesh has become the worst example of excessive police action by a force which has been clearly given a free hand by the state with one agenda, to create and establish a climate of fear among people. This is being done to subdue the masses and to dissuade them from agitating against the government.

Here’s a look at how 9 major districts in Uttar Pradesh have suffered in terms of deaths, detention of minors, rampant arrests, filing of FIRs, destruction of property, seizure of property which is reflective of the vengeance of the state government against protestors and the Muslim community.

Following is a District wise list of police atrocities and state action which has unleashed a climate of fear, starting with the worst affected area and continuing with the lesser affected ones.

Muzaffarnagar

Mobile and landline telephone services blocked; internet suspended since December 19.

As many as 3,000 unidentified persons booked; additionally, 262 identified persons have also been booked.

72 persons have been arrested so far, 40 of which are students of Saadat Madrassa.

More than 67 shops sealed in Meenakshi Chowk and Kachchi Sadak localities in Muzaffarnagar; Meenakshi Chowk being the hub of Muslim businessmen.

Property has been seized by government for non-payment of land revenue in Meenakshi Chowk.

UP police allegedly vandalised the house of Haji Hamid Hasan after he and his son took part in protests; they looted jewellery and cash of Rs. 5 lakh at gun point.

Around 70-100 men allegedly broke the lock of 74-year-old Anwar Ilahi’s home, smashed his car’s glass, stole Rs. 3.5 lakhs and destroyed property in his 3-storeyed home; he said not all men were in police uniform.
 

Meerut

5 persons have died in police violence

43 persons have been arrested

172 identified persons have been booked

Police in Meerut have filed cases against people who have died in police firing.

A fact-finding report found that no FIR is being accepted by the police on behalf of the family members of the deceased. The situation in the Muslim neighbourhoods remains tense, the families are anticipating more police raids

The worth of damage to property was assessed to be at Rs 14 lakh and District administration blamed 141 people for the damages

Bijnor

Internet has been suspended since December 20

2 persons have been killed allegedly due to police action – one was a UPSC aspirant and the other was a father to a 7-month-old, neither of them had taken part in the protests.

As many as 3,000 unidentified persons have been booked by the police

104 persons have been detained, 21 of which are minors – who have now been released

These detainees, including minors, were reportedly beaten up while in detention.

153 persons have been arrested, some of them have even been booked under section 307 (murder) of IPC

In Nehtaur, Police allegedly vandalized people’s homes, harassed women and threatened their children to disclose the location of the male members of their families.

Aligarh Muslim University

The Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of University allowed police to enter campus

Police used tear gas, pellet guns, pistols, rifles, stun grenades on students.

A student who was running away from the violence was hit by a stun grenade. He lost his dominant hand and in his other hand, he lost 4 fingers.

The police used abusive language, communal slurs and there are videos showing ruthless beating of students above waist height and RAF (Rapid Action Force) personnel pointing guns at male students.

Police even damaged university and student’s property on campus. Police forced students to recite Jai Shri Ram, abused with words like Pakistani, Deshdrohi (traitor), attankwadi (terrorist), anti-national.
FIRs have been filed against 1,200 unnamed students.

Kanpur

Internet has been suspended since December 20

As many as 21,500 unidentified persons have been booked by the police

729 persons have been detained

13 persons have been arrested, including SP MLA Amitabh Bajpai and former MLA Kamlesh Tewari. Most of the persons arrested belong to PFI (popular Front of India) and AIMIM.

3 persons have died, 9 have been injured due to gunshot wounds and 11 more have been injured owing to other police atrocities

Begumganj saw nearly 100 policemen allegedly breaking open the shutter of shops and damaging parked vehicles

Lucknow

Internet was suspended on December 19 and December 20

54 persons have been booked including 4 TMC MPs and activist Deepak Kabir

More than 1,000 persons are under house arrest, including retired police officer SR Darapuri, Sandeep Pandey a Magsaysay award winner.

Advocate Mohd Shoaib has been detained by police and his whereabouts are unknown; Mohd Shoaib’s wife, Arundhati Dhuru, and activists Meera Sanghamitra and Madhvi Kukreja were detained for several hours when they went to the police station to inquire about Shoaib.

Sadaf Jafar, activist and member of Congress party, has also been in police custody since December 19. She has, reportedly, been beaten up in custody and no medical help has been provided to her or any of the other persons arrested.

Gorakhpur

Internet has been suspended since December 20

More 1,000 unidentified persons have been booked and additionally, 36 identified persons have been booked.

More than 60 persons have been detained and 26 have been arrested.

District administration has sent show cause notices to 33 persons for seizure of property claiming damages to public property in protests.

Sambhal

Internet is suspended since December 19

2 persons have died

19 identified persons have been booked; 250 unidentified persons have been booked

30 people have been arrested, including SP Leader Shafiqur R. Barq and Feroz Khan

Varanasi

Internet has been suspended since December 20

6 people have died, including an 8-year-old minor

57 persons have been booked under grievous offences

218 persons including students and activists, have been arrested; out of which are 69 activists

Rampur

Internet was shut-down between December 20 to 22

1 person has died in firing

150 identified persons have been booked

33 persons have been arrested

Notices have been issued to 28 persons for damages to public property which has been assessed at Rs. 25 lakhs

More than 1,100 people have been arrested and 5,558 kept in preventive detention in UP

The post UP sees the worst of Police Brutality appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Delhi police detained about 350 protestors, including women who were set to stage a demonstration outside the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Bhawan in the capital on Friday against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the police brutalities on students. They have since been released.

The gherao of the UP Bhawan had been called by the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) which comprises of various political groups active on the campus, but according to reports the police had denied permissions for protests at the site. They had also prepared a memorandum to be submitted to officials at the site, but that too didn’t happen because the protest wasn’t allowed to take place.

A senior police official told reporters that Badre Alam, the leader of the protests and a student of Jamia, was told to take requisite permissions to hold the protests at a designated place like the Jantar Mantar, but he did not pay any heed to the advice of the police.

The JCC released a press statement on Friday evening stating that it had called for a peaceful gherao of the UP Bhawan starting at 3 PM which was met with the ‘now-normal repression tactics by the Delhi Police’.

The statement read that entire buses of protestors headed to the site were detained by the police and taken to different locations, including the Mandir Marg police station and Connaught Place police station. More than 300 students from Jamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU) had been detained and multiple students were manhandled.

People have been detained in groups outside UP Bhawan where they went to protest. Entire Bus coming from Jamia is being detained as some of the students from Jamia are reporting. The capital is literally turned into a battalion. And all this is so scary. :/

— Tejaswini Tabhane (@Tejaswi2406) December 27, 2019

“Almost all the buses which left from Jamia Nagar were detained by the police. Individual protestors who came via other means of transport to UP Bhawan were also detained separately,” the statement read.

The press statement referred to the detention as unlawful stating that the police could not show any papers to show that Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed in the area when they were questioned by detained students.

“The students continued their protest outside the station. The police have verbally assured that all detainees will be released by 6:30 pm. Protestors are gathering outside Connaught Place police station demanding the release of detained students. Lawyers have reached different police stations and have offered legal help,” the JCC said in the statement.

The JCC condemned the “ridiculous” actions of the Delhi Police and the State’s fear towards dissent. “It is clear that the current government is only holding itself back from unleashing its rage on the protestors in Delhi because of the international visibility that Delhi has. We ask progressive forces to exert more pressure on the Union and Uttar Pradesh governments to make them stop the atrocities that are being carried out in areas which are less visible to international media,” the JCC statement said.

The JCC also demanded an end to violence against anti-CAA protestors and Muslims in various states. It said, “We reiterate our demand that the violence being carried out against Muslims and anti-CAA protestors in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Bihar and Delhi be ended immediately. We strongly condemn the ongoing communal violence against Muslims, which has accelerated in recent days.”

The police on Thursday too had detained about a 100 people from various groups and political parties who had arrived at the UP Bhawan to stage a protest against the CAA citing that Section 144 was imposed there.

On Monday, 46 students, including 27 women were detained outside the same venue when they were about to begin demonstrations against the CAA.

Related:

AMU admin complicity in police brutality on campus: AMUSU
AMU student robbed of his dreams due to police violence
Delhi Police detains 18 minors in Daryaganj during anti-CAA protests

The post Delhi Police detain more than 300 anti-CAA protestors outside UP Bhawan appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On Thursday, over 25,000 people held a peaceful protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Mumbai’s Malvani area. The protest was organized by people from all communities living in Malad, Madh Island, Orlem and Malvani.

Malad MLA Aslam Shaikh told The Times of India, “There was no untoward incident. I raised the question of why the government was not trying to solve issues like farm crisi and unemployment. We have opposed the government’s decision to divide people in the name of CAA and NRC.”

The protesters gathered at a ground in the area and then walked down the road with banners and placards saying “Boycott NRC”, “We reject CAA” and even “Jab Hindu Muslim Razi, Toh Kya Karega Nazi”.

Meanwhile, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) organized another peaceful protest in Dadar where questions were raised about the two detention camps planned in Maharashtra. Prakash Ambedkar addressed the crowd saying, “People should strongly oppose the CAA and the NRC and work together to defeat the BJP, else they should be ready to be stationed at the detention camps in Kharghar and Nerul.” This protest saw participation from many nomadic and denotified tribes as well.

The post Anti-CAA protest attracts 25,000 in Malvani, Malad appeared first on SabrangIndia.