feeds from sacw.net
print versionTo,
The Election Commissioner,
Election Commission of India,
New Delhi-10001
2nd Complaint against Delhi police for holding Press Conference alleging arrests of four suspected terrorists and highlighting prominently large number of Muslim names with a view to give communal tinge to the incident to enable communal elements in the election fray, including the ruling party, to utilize the same for electorate advantage and requesting it to prohibit holding such press conferences by the police during election times.
_____________________________________
Dear Sir,
This is to inform you that Delhi Police held a Press Conference yesterday i.e.23rd March, 2014 which has been widely publicized in TV News Channels and prominently reported in today’s newspapers. In the said Press Conference Mr. S.N.Srivastava, Special Commissioner of Delhi Police, besides taking the names of four suspected terrorists who were apprehended, also mentioned number of other names of suspected terrorists who are alleged to be targeting Mr. Narendra Modi, a prominent BJP candidate in the present elections. All such names belong to Muslim community and were prominently highlighted by Mr. Srivastava in a manner likely to promote communal resentment against the Muslim community. All the TV channels, as well as print media, have followed the story with similar relish strictly as police version. There was large scale protest by the residents of Okhla area in New Delhi throughout the day against the arrests of two youth who were later on released at night by the police. But such public protest has been suppressed by the channels. As per law every suspect is considered as innocent till proved guilty in the court of law. There have been large number of cases in which at the end of the cases the suspects are found innocents and cases fabricated. The police is entitled to arrest the suspects and investigate but is not entitled to hold press conferences and parade such suspects as guilty persons, especially during election times when communal passions are likely to be utilized to gain electorate advantage on communal polarization. There was no reason or occasion for the Delhi police to hold press conference yesterday in the manner as it did repeatedly highlighting Muslim names except that its purpose seems to be to enable certain political parties to utilize it to instigate sentiments against the Muslim community and polarize communities for electoral gains. At present i.e. during election times the Delhi police had no right to do so without permission from the Election Commission. The action of the Delhi police is also in violation of the model code of conduct. Some of the links of such reportage are below :
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/arrested-indian-mujahideen-men-were-planning-terror-attack-delhi-police/314264?relatedviaplayer
http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/indian-mujahidin-terrorist-arrested-in-rajasthan-1-758669.html
I on behalf of the Citizens For Democracy request you to direct Delhi Police and all other police authorities of the Centre and the States, including the NIA and the CBI not to hold such press conferences involving sensitive communal passions without permission of the Election Commission in the interest of free and fair elections. I also request you to take suitable action against the concerned Delhi police officials for holding such press conference as of today without the permission of the Election Commission.I also sent a complaint on similar lines yesterday.
Dt.24th March, 2014
N.D.Pancholi
General Secretary, Citizens For Democracy
G-3/617, Shalimar Garden Extn.I,
Sahibabad, Ghaziabad-201005
(M) 9811099532
[SEE RELEVANT NEWS REPORT BELOW
DELHI POLICE UNLEASHES TERROR IN JAMIA LOCALITY, DRAGS AWAY TWO BIHAR STUDENTS FOR ALLEGED MURDER CONSPIRACY AGAINST MODI
By ASAD ASHRAF
Sun Mar 23, 2014
NEW DELHI: Tension rippled through the narrow streets of Jamia Nagar with the arrests of two young boys Ammar Yasir and Abdul Wahid, both in their early 20’s, by the Delhi Police Special Cell early Sunday morning for allegedly conspiring to kill BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Protests broke out as residents gathered spontaneously against the police action.
A team of Delhi Police special cell led by its Sub Inspector Satish Ranaof with the assistance of the Local Police Jamia nagar raided House No E/101, Abul Fazal , and picked up Yasir and Wahid, alleging that they were part of the ‘assassination’ conspiracy.
Interestingly, given the keen electoral battle between the BJP and the Janata Dal(U) in Bihar, both both were residents of Bihar. Ammar Yasir belongs to the Dhanbad District of Jharkhand and Abdul Wahid is from Gaya District of Bihar. Both were students of mechanical engineering at the Global Institute of Technology, Rajasthan and were regular visitors to this house were their friend Danish was living for the past 18 months.
The owner of the house is living in England. The caretaker Mohammad Rehan who is also a student of Diploma Engineering in Jamia Millia Islamia and witnessed the arrest told The Citizen, “The police barged in and dragged the two guys out their room at around 7 in the morning while they were sleeping, and took them away with their travel bags. We all were helpless and couldn’t do anything.â€
He along with other residents who knew the boys said they were well behaved, and certainly did not seem to be part of any political conspiracies. They were open and frank, and friendly.
Pankaj Singh, who is the Station House Officer of the Jamia Nagar Police station, told this correspondent that the raid was carried out early in the morning after the Special cell approached the Local police for assistance. The interrogation is based on an FIR number 54/11 under the clauses of the draconian UAPA. Responding to a question about the DK Basu Guidelines, he said that these applied only to arrests, whereas the boys had been taken in for interrogation.
Local leaders and residents gathered outside the local Police station and threatened to block the Sarita Vihar Highway if the two boys were not released immediately.Akhlaque Ahmed, National Coordinator of Association for the Protection of Civil Rights, while addressing a gathering outside the police station said, it’s a clear case of illegal detention. He said a written notice is required to be served to an individual under the law but this had not been done. Criticizing themedia he said, “without any investigation the media has started branding them as Indian Mujahideen , this shows how biased it is.
Ameeque Jamai , the convener of PCPT (Peoples Campaign against Politics of terror ) said, “ It’s a clear political move before the elections to divert the attentions from the highlighting issues.â€
When contacted the Local MLA of the Congress party Mohammad Asif Khan told The Citizen as per the party’s usual position on these issues, that it was a “matter of interrogation right now and not of arrest, I will wait for the interrogation to finish before making any comment.†Delhi is currently being run by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, a Congress appointee with the Delhi Police directly under him and the Central government.
The incident, perceived as part of state terror tactics by the local people, has spread fear and panic in the area. Residents wondered why these localities were being targeted over and over again.
Hundreds of protesters blocked the Delhi to Noida road insisting on the release of the two students who had been picked up by the Delhi Special Branch from a New Delhi locality. The students were reportedly taken away for “interrogation†in what the Delhi police claimed to be a plot to assassinate BJPs prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
CPI activist Ameeque Jamia said that the ACP of the Delhi Police Special Branch had called to say that it was just a case of interrogation and not arrest. “But we will not leave until they are released,†he asserted.
Local leader of the Aam Aadmi Party Amanutullah Khan said, “the Muslims will not tolerate these illegal arrest anymore. They will express their outrage through democratic protests.â€
Protesters at the venue said that they had expected the Congress government to respond to their pleas after the boys had been arrested early morning. “No one is listening to and this is the last resort†, some of the students said.
Local SHO Pankaj Singh said that the police will not use force to disperse the protesters and “we are negotiating with them.†He claimed that Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit was in the special cell office of the Delhi police.
Traffic remained blocked as the impasse continued. ]
