[8:58 PM, 3/12/2020] E M Sb: NEW DELHI
12 MARCH 2020

SDPI condemns arrest of Delhi State Popular Front leaders

SDPI condemned unwarranted harrassment including arrest of Delhi state Popular Front of India leaders and members by for supporting anti-CAA protests alleging involvement in Delhi riots. In a press statement issued in New Delhi, SDPI national secretary Dr Tasleem Rehmani severely criticised Delhi police special branch for arresting Delhi state PFI president Mohd Pavez, secretary Mohd Ilyas and others. The witch hunt of Popular Front is nothing but political vendetta born out of communal hatred and hence must be condemned by all right thinking citizens and groups. He said while the real perpetrators of riots who belong to ruling BJP are roaming free, still enjoying union cabinet berths and furthermore getting Y category security cover, the Delhi police has not even filed an FIR against them despite court observation and general demand by civil society leaders. Dr Rehmani further criticised union Home Minister’s reply yesterday in Lok Sabha on Delhi riots debates where he didn’t even mention the name of his cabinet colleague Anurag Thakur, party MP Paresh Verma and Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra whose statement are circulating widely in almost every media outlets provoking people to shoot and kill and to take law in their own hands. Union Home ministet rather preferred to blame civil society orgsnisations in the forefront of anti-CAA protests.
SDPI national secretary said that opposing and protesting any govt policy or act is a democratic right of all the citizens and can not be taken as an anti-national activity. Arresting people for peaceful protests is a clear indication of fascist attitude of the present regime. He strongly condemned the Union Govt for misuse of police apparatus to suppress people’s democratic rights. He reiterated the party demand for judicial probe in Delhi riots by a sitting Supreme Court judge to bring the real culprits to the books and take stringent action against them to instill confidence among law abiding citizens and targetted Muslim community in particular. SDPI also demanded immediate release of all the PFI activists and other innocent people detained or arrested by Delhi police under varoius false charges.