A seminar on prolonged illegal detentions of political prisoners with Dr Qasim Faktoo as study case was held in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi recently. The program was organized by Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Youth Civil Society (JKYCS).
Prominent human rights activist Gautam Navlakha chaired the session. Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included renowned journalist Prem Shankar Jha; human rights campaigner Prof Vivek Kumar, Center for School of Social System (CSSS) JNU; and journalist and civil rights activist and Britta Ohm, visiting scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia.
Ashraf Bhat, General Secretary, Jammu & Kashmir Bar Association, and Arshid Hussain Andrabi, Advocate, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir, threw light on the study case of Dr Qasim Faktoo.
While highlighting the work of Jammu Kashmir Bar Association regarding the human rights violations and jail visits, Mr. Bhat said, ”It was because of Dr Qasim Faktoo’s intellectual might and political insight, the Indian establishment at the behest of its local puppets, has decided to break his determination by making him a victim of the political vendetta and framed him under the TADA (P) Act and got him punished for life. His release is big question for the so-called Indian democracy.”
“I personally feel that that there should be a peaceful public campaign for vindicating the wrongs and the persecution committed by the Indian establishment and the local puppets upon the hapless people of Jammu Kashmir and particularly those languishing in different jails for years together without being impartially heard by anyone, the best example of which is Dr Muhammad Qasim. We all should join hands for mounting an effective pressure upon the government for the release of these political victims”, Mr. Bhat further added.
Advocate Arshid Andrabi, the lawyer of Dr Qasim Faktoo, while speaking on the occasion said, “Analyzing the history of events associated with the trail of Mohammad Qasim Faktoo, who is a scholarly figure and has spent his time educating hundreds of inmates inside the jail preparing them for examination for distance learning course under IGNOU, concrete recommendations were made by jail authorities for granting him remission.”
While discussing the Dr Qasim’s case in detail, Mr. Andrabi further said, “Petition filed in the Jammu Kashmir high court seeking interpretation of the provisions of the jail manual and asking for the reasons for selective approach in granting remission to similar cases. But all attends have so far failed. The reasons are simple the ruling regimes who have not moral or legal right to remain in power are afraid of him. They have no answer to this argument. Author of eight scholarly publications can speak right and discuses contemporary political problems with clarity. Having not compromised he can speak the truth and nothing but truth which not permitted in this part of the world.”
Professor Vivek Kumar said that the prolonged detention of Faktoo because of his descent is an absolute vendetta and illegal.
The seminar was titled “Prolonged Illegal Detention of Political Prisoners”.
In his address, Gautam Navlakha while coming down heavily against Indian democracy, judicial systems and denial of justice in India, said, “Anti terrorism laws are created to selectively targeted the particular marginalized community to shun the voices of decent.”
“Is this a democracy in which the mass murderers like Narendra Modi, Pravin Togadia and Sakshi Mahraj are free to commit murder and spread venom and if the people like Masarat Alam gives a slogan it becomes an offence and they detain him under the draconian Public Safety Act. There is no law for Bajrang Dal. If you are a Shiv Sainik, you can go, rape and murder people. If Hindutvawadis commit massacres like that in Gujarat, they say they are not terrorists and that organization cannot be branded as terrorist organization. What kind of democracy is this?” asked Mr. Navlakha.
“Detaining Dr Qasin on the basis of confessional statement is a clear political vendetta. If he has already spend 22 years in jail and there have been recommendations pressing for his realise I fail to understand what stops them to release him when they can easily acquit those who committed mass murders in Hashimpura by butchering more than 44 Muslims,” Mr. Navlakha added.
The Kashmiri Bangladeshi model, who was accused of having terror links, Tariq Dar spoke about his own experience in Tihar when he was detained by Delhi special cell. He said, ”When I was in Tihar I realized how they can charge anyone in frivolous cases and tag him as a Laskar commander. It’s really pathetic when a judge who is oath to look into our cases but in a cold response he doesn’t. This way the cases remain pending for years and it prolongs the detention of the accused prisoners.”
Britta Ohm, a German visiting professor of Jamia Millia Islamia, said,” These oppressive majors are deliberately done to instil fear in the marginalized communities to deliberately target them.”
Bilal Bhat, Chairman of the JKYCS, during his address stressed on the need to take practical measures to fight for the justice he launched online signature campaign on Dr Qasim’s case www.releasedrqasim.org and appealed to the people to sign it en mass.
While thanking JNUSU Students Union for advocating freedom of speech and expression in the campus, he also presented an award to Anant Narayan, Vice President of JNUSU, on this special occasion.