• About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Login
NRI Affairs
Youtube Channel
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
NRI Affairs
No Result
View All Result
Home News

‘India is turning into an autocracy’: Families of Imprisoned Indians share their stories with the US Congress

NRI Affairs News Desk by NRI Affairs News Desk
November 20, 2021
in News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
Indian-American-Muslim-Council
161
SHARES
1.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Advertisements

Muslim Prisoners of Conscience incarcerated in India on false criminal charges continue to face beatings, torture and other forms of violence for speaking out against the government’s persecution of religious minorities, their families said Wednesday at a U.S. Congressional Briefing titled “Prisoners of Conscience in India”.

Indian American Muslim Council said in a statement that attendees at the virtual Briefing learned firsthand from family members of such POCs how the Indian government has been jailing human rights defenders, religious minorities, journalists, students and activists in false criminal cases — often charging them with blasphemy, terrorism and sedition.

“My brother was always a man who spoke against injustice. He went to visit the family of the young girl who was brutally raped and murdered. His only intention was to fight for justice, and they arrested him as if he was a terrorist,” said Monis Khan, the brother of Masud Ahmad.

Ahmad, a student leader, was arrested by Uttar Pradesh in October last year while he was on his way to meet with the family of a Dalit woman who had been raped and brutally murdered by upper caste men in Hathras district.

Ahmed has been charged under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and has been denied bail. He was a student at New Delhi’s prestigious university, Jamia Millia Islamia.

Khan rejected the police’s allegation that Ahmed had planned to incite violence at Hathras. “It has been one year, and they still have no evidence [against him] to produce in court. He is being treated like a terrorist for speaking up for the rape victim.”

Click here to follow us on Facebook for regular updates.

Nargis, the wife of Khalid Saifi, a human rights defender in prison since February 2020, said: “My husband is getting punished for raising his voice against the government. It breaks my heart narrating this incident, which made our lives miserable, and made us feel how helpless we are.”

Advertisements

Saifi was arrested on false charges of planning sectarian violence. Ironically, that violence itself was directed against Muslims in India’s capital, New Delhi, and has been widely reported to have been carried out by Hindu extremists affiliated with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A mobile phone video showed that Saifi had merely approached the police on a street to speak with them, which is when they literally kidnapped him and took him away. The next morning when the police brought him to a court he was in a wheelchair with broken legs. The police have charged him under UAPA.

Saifi’s sister added: “He has three small kids. They all miss their father. He is a great man who does everything for his children and his wife. His children ask about him every single day — when will we be able to see our father? When will we eat food with him? When will we play with him? And we can’t even reply to this question.”

Speaking at the Briefing, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, a veteran Muslim leader, journalist and activist, said the international community should demand that India immediately free its political prisoners on bail.

“The way the government is moving here in India, we fear that more hard times are going to come. This is a fascist government. This is an authoritarian government. Democracy is threatened, civil society is threatened,” Ilyas said. “India is turning into an autocracy. And that is a concern for all of us, because India was the second-largest democracy in the world. Now we are losing that status.”

Ilyas’s son, Umar Khalid, too has been in prison since September 2020, also under UAPA for allegedly planning Delhi’s anti-Muslim violence. A speech that the police have cited as evidence actually shows Khalid exhorting the protesters against India’s anti-Muslim citizneship law to continue their demonstrations in a nonviolent manner.

“The UAPA was used against a journalist without any evidence. In India, it is not possible for a journalist to work freely from the ground. He went through a lot of harsh human rights violations in jail,” said Raihanath Kappan, the wife of Siddique Kappan, a journalist from Kerala, who was arrested along with Masud Ahmed and has been in prison despite failing health and even the loss of his mother during incarceration.

Raju Rajagopal, a cofounder of Hindus for Human Rights, cited reports to say that Indian police had charged over 10,000 people under the UAPA, a law that Prime Minister Modi’s government has modified to allow “anyone to be charged as a terrorist, even if they are merely protesting unjust laws or reporting on anti-minority violence.”

Co-hosts of the congressional briefing include Amnesty International USA, 21Wilberforce, Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council, International Christian Concern, Jubilee Campaign, Dalit Solidarity Forum, New York State Council of Churches, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America, India Civil Watch International, Justice for All, Center for Pluralism, American Muslim Institution, International Society for Peace and Justice, Association of Indian Muslims of America, and The Humanism Project.

‘Salute to 700 farmers’: NRIs rejoice as Modi announces to repeal farm laws
Share64Tweet40Send
NRI Affairs News Desk

NRI Affairs News Desk

Related Posts

Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant pushes anti-caste discrimination law in US state
News

Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant pushes anti-caste discrimination law in US state

January 27, 2023
Hindenburg shorts Adani Group; flags debt and accounting concerns
News

Hindenburg shorts Adani Group; flags debt and accounting concerns

January 27, 2023
European Parliament Member expresses concern over human rights violations in India
News

European Parliament Member expresses concern over human rights violations in India

January 27, 2023
Next Post
Australia International students

First plane carrying international students arrives in Australia

Scott Morrison

Skilled migrants, temporary visa holders and students can enter Australia without restrictions

Qantas Melbourne

Qantas announces direct flights between Melbourne and New Delhi

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Australian airline Qantas adds 8 Indian cities with IndiGo Codeshare Agreement

Australian airline Qantas adds 8 Indian cities with IndiGo Codeshare Agreement

5 days ago
NRI moves court seeking intervention from Centre to regulate Covid-19 tests conducted at Indian airports

NRI moves court seeking intervention from Centre to regulate Covid-19 tests conducted at Indian airports

12 months ago
No more lockdowns, improved business confidence, better healthcare, no new taxes: Matthew Guy

No more lockdowns, improved business confidence, better healthcare, no new taxes: Matthew Guy

9 months ago
Tony Abbot meets Narendra Modi

Tony Abbot flags Australia’s trade swing to India from China

1 year ago

Categories

  • Literature
  • Multimedia
  • News
  • nriaffairs
  • Other
  • People
  • Top Stories
  • Uncategorized
  • Views
  • Visa

Topics

Air India Australia california Canada caste CECA COVID COVID-19 cricket ECTA Europe free trade FTA Geeta Germany Hindu Human Rights immigration India india-australia Indian Indian-origin Indian Students London Melbourne Migration Modi Muslim New Zealand NRI NSW oci passport quarantine Singapore Sydney travel UAE uk Ukraine US USA Victoria visa women
NRI Affairs

© 2021 NRI Affairs.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other

© 2021 NRI Affairs.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT