Over 20 film personalities, including Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Nandita Das and Ratna Pathak Shah, have released a statement to slam the arrest of two Jamia students amid the coronavirus lockdown.
The Delhi Police arrested two students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University– Meeran Haider and Safoora Zargar– last week for allegedly instigating communal violence in parts of north east Delhi in February. The riots had claimed 53 lives and left over 200 injured.
The statement reads, “A riot in which the minorities suffered the maximum damage, both in terms of lives and livelihood, has now become a pretext for the Delhi Police to further witch-hunt activists, most of whom also come from the minority community.”
Calling the actions of the Delhi Police “utterly inhuman and undemocratic”, the statement also signed by lawyer activist Trisha Shetty, said, “Making several people travel to the police station every day and throwing some of them in jails also defeats the purpose of the lockdown and makes a mockery of social distancing.”
Asserting that their opposition to the “draconian” Citizenship Amendment Act will continue, the film personalities and activists said, “We urge Delhi Police to stop abusing the lockdown, respect the human rights of our fellow citizens and put an end to this witch hunt. We demand the release of these students and activists.”
In response to this, the Delhi Police, on April 20, released a statement saying, "While investigating Jamia and northeast (Delhi) riot cases, Delhi Police has done its job sincerely and impartially."
"All the arrests made have been based on analysis of scientific and forensic evidence, including video footage, technical and other footprints," the statement added.
Last year in December, police had allegedly entered the Jamia Millia Islamia Univeristy campus after protests over CAA, being held a few metres away from the varsity, turned violent.
The Delhi Police, however maintains that it is committed to "upholding the rule of law" and bringing conspirators, abettors and culprits of the Delhi riots to book and secure justice to victims.
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