New Delhi: Akram Raees Khan, who is a journalist and anchor of TV channel Dhakkad Khabar, interviews Mehmood Pracha, who is the Supreme Court advocate. He interviewed him on some issues of the Shaheen Bagh protest.
Charge sheets against Shaheen Bagh protesters
Khan asks Pracha why the government is in a hurry to file charge sheets against the Shaheen Bagh protestors which include ladies, while they have 90 days of time to file the charge sheets. It is only three months since the protest has ended. Is it to create a fear among them so that they should refrain from re-organizing the protest after the lockdown?
Pracha says that there is no such law to file the charge sheets within 60 to 90 days. This law applies to those who are in jail and under investigation. If the crime is of less than ten years of punishment, then the charge sheet should be filed within 60 days. If the punishment is of more than ten years then it should be filed within 90 days. Otherwise, the criminals could be released on bail.
Khan questions if charge is not filed within 60 or 90 days then what would happen to the petitions?
Pracha replies, most of the police departments in our country are not investigating properly. Since the Manuvadi government and Amit Shah has come to power, the efficiency of the police departments in our country has deteriorated. The corrupted officers do their job for achieving the political agenda of the government and earn a good name. But in general, the police departments have been badly affected.
Khan interferes and asks why the government is filing charges sheets if there is no time limit. Does the government want that protesters should not re-organize the protests at Shaheen Bagh?
Pracha replies, it is good to file charge sheets. But, the main question is how far the investigation will be done sincerely. The fact is, the corrupted Delhi police officers not only helped but supported BJP, RSS and other parties in attacking the protesters who were against the CAA and NRC bills. The ladies were protesting peacefully without any violence for two months. The entire world came to know that the Indian women have come out of their homes to fight for their citizenship and constitutional rights. Thus the government was condemned all over the world and was under pressure. This is the reason why the government wanted to crush the agitation. Hence, BJP, RSS and the police collaborated with political masters and attacked the peaceful protestors, the vital role played by the BJP candidate Kapil Mishara and others who gave a hate speech. Pracha says that he has many complaints and proofs against many BJP and RSS leaders who are directly involved in attacking Muslims and their properties. The goons who came with them, shot at many Muslims and set their homes on fire and attacked them with swords. The people have seen this on social media and we also have other proofs. Pracha asks what one can expect in this situation from the corrupted police officers? They would surely try to hide their black deeds and will support their political masters. This why we are fighting against the charge sheets.
Three issues
Khan says if the charge sheets are scrutinized from all angles, one can find that there are three issues that the charge has related to. The Jamia, Shaktiman, and third is Tableeghi Jamaat. He asks Pracha again to have a clear cut answer from him; is the government is trying to stop the protesters from coming back to Shaheen Bagh?
Pracha replies that the government, through BJP and RSS, attacked the protestors because the whole world came to know the reality that Muslims are fighting for their nationality and constitutional rights. The government knows very well as soon as the lockdown is relaxed, the protest is going to start once again, this time on a greater level. The government also knows this time, in the reservation issue, the death of Floyd–the coloured American in the USA are issues that are included in the protest. The main aim of the government is to suppress the CAA which is on hold due to lockdown. He says he has uploaded the charge sheets on the public domain so that people can have a look that how the government has framed false allegations on the Shaan Bagh protestors. The government has to face failure as it does not have enough poof.
Khan asks, the government did not spare even the ladies whether they are students, home makers or pregnant. Does it want to convey the message to the women that they should not come out of their homes?
Pracha agrees to this and adds that if women come out of their homes to save the constitution, the government will file charges of terrorism against them. Whereas, no woman is involved in any terrorist activities when the protests were continued for two months.
Pracha further adds that there is a political rivalry within BJP as who would be the Prime Minister of India. Because, the communal riots in Delhi took place during President Trump’s visit to India which is the proof. If the riots were fabricated just because of CAA and NRC they could have started them after Trump’s visit. Another point Pracha raised is that the government has claimed that charge sheets have been filed against 410 people where 205 are Muslims and 205 are Hindus. This is how cleverly they maintain the balance between Hindus and Muslims to prove that it was a Hindu and Muslim communal riot. But, the police did not disclose that how many Muslims and Hindus had lost their lives and how many are missing. How much property has been damaged? When the police are giving it a colour of communal riots, then they should also provide a list with these details. Then only people will come to know the riots were fabricated by RSS.
Khan further asks that he heard there were not 410 people against whom the charge sheet was filed, but there were more than 1100 people.
Pracha says, charge sheet was files against 410 people and others were arrested under different charges.
Govt. focuses on Shaheen Bagh protesters
Khan raises another question, he asks the riots took place on 23 February, the same day the chief of Bheem Army Chandra Shekhar Azad called Bharat bandh and there were incidents of arson, but why nobody was arrested? Do they have any links with the government? Afterwards, Muslims sat under the Jafarabad bridge. Why they were not arrested why the charge sheets were not filed against them?
Pracha replies that they do not have any links with the government. The governments’ policy is to focus on one issue. That issue is to stop the CAA and NRC protestors from gathering again at Shaheen Bagh. The government knows that Ambedkar wadi is also their enemy but it wants to deal with them at some other time. The government has a perfect focused plan for Shaheen Bagh protestors.
Khan’s last question was, if all 1100 protesters were prosecuted, will they be able to reorganize the Shaheen Bagh protest once again?
Pracha says Shaheen Bagh is for saving the constitution, to save the citizenship, reservations, and also to save the coloured people of America. No force in the world can stop this protest. This is being organized by the public including SC and ST. Even the court did not order to stop the Shaheen Bagh protest. This was the reason why the government fabricated communal riots, attacking the protesters with the help of police and RSS goons. Pracha is confident that protest will start again at Shaheen Bagh on a larger scale than before.