Syed Ali Ahmed | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 30—Fear of arrest prevails among Muslim youths in Rampur where police have again started taking action against those who were involved in the Citizenship ( Amendment) Act (CAA) and NRC protest before the lockdown though a delegation of Muslim leaders met District Magistrate Anjaney Kumar Singh and Superintendent of Police Shogun Gautam, urging them not to take action against the innocent youths.
The police have arrested 12 youths and are looking for 35 more whose names were mentioned in the FIR registered in December last year, said Zameer Rizvi of Jamiat Ulema Hind, Rampur unit.
However, police refused to give the details to media.
A delegation of Majlis-e-Shoora members of Jamiat Ulema, Rampur unit, and management committee of Jama Masjid, Rampur, met the DM and the SP several times. Local Muslim BJP leader Dr Tanveer and Abhay Gupta, BJP president, Rampur unit, also met the senior officers but the police are still conducting raids at the residences of the Muslim youths during nights. Many of the Muslim youths have left their houses owing to fear of their arrests which they feel is police highhandedness.
Zameer said that instead of giving heed to Muslim leadership, the DM and the SP emphasized for action against those whose names were mentioned in the FIR. A total of three FIRs were lodged in the case in December 2019. The one FIR was in Rampur city police station, the other in Kotwali city and yet another was registered by civil hospital police station where people protested after a youth was killed in police firing in February.
In the first FIR, names of 116 accused were mentioned and 2000 unknown persons. In the second FIR, 25 accused were identified and 100-300 were unknown. They were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 395 (punishment for dacoity) and other charges. Jamiat Ulema and other groups fought the case of the arrested youths and others whose name were in FIR. Of them, 36 have got bail from the court after charges under sections 302 and 307 of IPC charges were dropped by the court.
Jamiat moved the high court for eight other accused. Of them, two again got bail. The case for six is in process.
Zameer said that the police had filed chargesheet in these cases on March 22. The police have started fresh action against the youths for submitting its additional charge sheet. So far, 12 youths have been arrested. The police are looking for 35 more youths. When the influential people met the DM and the SP, they said action would be taken against those whose names are there in the FIRs. They can get interim bail from the court.
He said that Jamiat received four-five calls daily from the Muslims where police raid is conducted. “The police men allegedly misbehave with women”, he said.
When India Tomorrow contacted the SP office in Rampur, investigating officer Manoj Kumar refused to divulge the details of arrested youths and kinds of charges leveled against them.
