India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, MAY 9— Heads of top Muslim organizations have issued a joint statement condemning the police action and demanding withdrawal of the FIR registered against Delhi Minorities Commission Chairman Dr Zafarul Islam Khan.
“We condemn the action by the Delhi Police against Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan. The biased role of Delhi Police has once again been exposed by its action against the Chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission over something he tweeted a few days back,” they said in the joint statement on Friday.
The leaders condemned the visit by police at his residence in order to take him to the police station.
“One may differ with the content of Dr. Khan’s tweet and he had issued a clarification regarding the same. However, according to reports, the Delhi Police officers reached his residence without any prior notice and were adamant to take him along with them. This kind of action during the lockdown, exactly before iftar time, against the head of a quasi-judicial institution, gives an idea about the level to which the police can stoop,” said the Muslim leaders including Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, Maulana Mehmood Madani, Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, Maulana Wali Rahmani, Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Salfi, Navaid Hamid and Dr Manzoor Alam.
On April 28, Dr. Khan had posted a tweet wherein he had “thanked” Kuwait “for standing with Indian Muslims.” In the couple of weeks prior to the tweet, several eminent persons in the Arab World were seen resorting to the social media condemning Coronavirus-driven incidents of hate crimes against the minority community in India. Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said that “COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or border before striking” and called upon people to “attach primacy to unity and brotherhood.”
However, day after Dr Khan’s tweet, an FIR was filed against him under IPC sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc. The FIR was later transferred to the Special Cell, the anti-terror squad of Delhi Police.
On April 29, after the controversy erupted over his tweet, Dr. Khan had issued a statement to explain his position. He also charged that a section of media distorted his views.
“I have not complained against my country to any foreign government or organization nor I intend to do so in future. I am a patriot to the core and I have always defended my country abroad. However, at the same time I have always been vocal about the problems in our country like any other country but, I also believe that we and our political, constitutional and judicial system are capable to tackle them,” Dr. Khan said in his statement.
He further said: “According to my knowledge, Indian Muslims have never complained against their country to outside powers. I, like other Indian Muslims, believe in rule of law, the Indian Constitution and the fine institutions our country has.”
However, on May 6, a team of Delhi Police reached the residence of Dr Khan in connection with the case.
Delhi Police Should Withdraw FIR Filed against Dr Khan: Muslim Leaders
In their joint statement, Muslim leaders charged the Delhi Police for targeting the members of the community after failing to arrest those responsible for the northeast Delhi violence.
“After failing to arrest those responsible for the huge loss of life and property during the riots of North-Delhi, the Delhi Police is targeting Muslims in different ways. Ignoring the nefarious activities, poisonous speeches, statements and organized attacks, well known to the whole world and punishing those who raise their voice for the oppressed or to target those who oppose the government policies at the hands of the police, is extremely dangerous for the entire country,” they said.
“We demand that the government should immediately take back the FIR against Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan and stop the Delhi Police from taking action against innocent citizens,” reads the statement signed by the following community leaders:
• Maulana Arshad Madani, President – Jamiat Ulema e Hind
• Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, President, Milli Ittehad Council, Bareilly
• Maulana Mehmood Madani, Secretary General, Jamiat Ulema e Hind
• Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, Ameer Jamaat e Islami Hind
• Maulana Wali Rahmani, Ameer e Shariat, Bihar, Orrisa & Jharkhand
• Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Salfi, Ameer Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees
• Navaid Hamid, President – Muslim Majlis e Mushawaat
• Dr Manzoor Alam, General Secretary, All India Milli Council
• Maulana Mohammed Salman Hussaini Nadvi – Lucknow
• Maulana Mufti Muhammad Mukarram, Shahi Imam, Masjid Fatehpuri, Delhi
• Maulana Mohsin Taqwi, Imam e Juma, Shia Jama Masjid, Delhi
• Dr Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, President Welfare Party of India
• Muhammad Sulaiman, President Indian National League
• Akhtar Hussain, General Secretary, All India Momin Conference
• Mujtaba Farooq, General Secretary, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat
• Maulana Muhammad Tanvir Hashmi, President Ahle Sunnat Waljamat Karnataka
• Labeed Shafi, President, Students Islamic Organization of India
• Prof Aktherul Wasey, President Jodhpur University, Rajasthan
• Prof Hasina Hashia, Milli Council
• Dr Tasleem Rahmani, President, Muslim Political Council of India
FIR against Dr Zafarul Islam Khan “Motivated, Frivolous”: Lawyer
Meanwhile, Dr. Khan’s counsel and senior lawyer Vrinda Grover has said that the FIR registered against him for a social media post is “motivated, frivolous and unsubstantiated.”
The lawyer told India Tomorrow on Thursday that no offence is made out against Dr. Khan on the basis of his social media post.
“A reading of Dr. Khans’s social media post shows that the FIR registered against him is motivated, frivolous and unsubstantiated. No offence is made out against Dr. Khan,” she said.
Regarding his interrogation at his residence and next likely interrogation at the police station, the lawyer said: “As the counsel for Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, all necessary legal steps will be taken to defend his liberty, protect his rights and prevent further harassment.”
