AIMMM CONDEMNS THE ARREST OF FEROZE MITHIBORWALA AND KISHORE JAGTAP
All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat President Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan condemned the overnight arrest in Mumbai of political activists Feroze Mithiborwala and Kishore Jagtap in Mumbai which seemingly took place in the context of the visit of the US Secretary of State to the city.
All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat President Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan condemned the overnight arrest in Mumbai of political activists Feroze Mithiborwala and Kishore Jagtap in Mumbai which seemingly took place in the context of the visit of the US Secretary of State to the city.
It is illegal to limit the freedom of any Indian citizen who is not breaking any law. The Maharashtra state home minister should come clean on this violation of human and civil rights and should apologise to the two activists for this illegal act at the hands of Mumbai police, Dr Khan said.
Press Statement:
We, the undersigned, note with a sense of shock and horror that last evening, at around 9 00 PM, prominent human rights and social activist from Mumbai, Mr Feroze Mithiborwala, was picked up by three police people from his residence at Marol and taken to the MIDC, Andheri(E) police station. He has been kept under detention overnight. No reason whatever has been indicated for this official “kidnap”.
It appears that he is picked up to prevent him from holding any protest demonstration against the visiting US Secretary of State, Ms. Hillary Clinton.
One does not have to agree with Mr. Mithiborwala on his political position to denounce this grossly undemocratic act on the part of the Mumbai Police. The right to dissent, and dissent in public, is what sets a “democracy” apart from an authoritarian regime. And we never tire of claiming, and not too unjustifiably, that India is the “largest democracy” in the world. It is precisely in that context, the action of the Mumbai Police is extremely unfortunate and utterly condemnable.
We demand that the state Home Minister immediately take note and act against the erring officials. He should also issue a note of apology as the buck presumably stops at his door. Feroze and Kishore Jagtap were released today around 5.45 pm without any charge.
Mihir Desai (Lawyer), Yusuf Muchala (Lawyer), Sukla Sen (Ekta), Jatin Desai (Peoples’ Media Initiative ), Yogesh Kamdar (Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties), Seema Mustafa (Journalist), Dolphy Dsouza (Bombay Catholic Sabha), Nandita Shah (Akshara), Sanober Keshwaar (Human Rights activist), Lena Ganesh(Social activist), Jaya Velankar (Writer), Daniel Mazgaonkar (Sarvodaya Activist), Kamayani Mahabal Shetty (Social Activist), K L Bajaj (CPM), Soheb Lokhandwala (MPJ), Bhagwan Keshbhat (YUVA), Sushovan Dhar (Social Activist), Suvrat Raju. (Submitted by Jatin Desai; desaijatin@yahoo.co.uk; Jul 18, 2009)