By Mahibul Hoque, TwoCircles.net
Delhi: “I got to know about the arrest of Masud from news channels after the UP Police had detained him at a Toll Plaza in Mathura. More than the government, it seems that the news channels were spreading propaganda against him. His UPSC dream is jeopardised now,” says Monis, the brother of 26-year-old Masud Ahmed, who was booked by Uttar Pradesh police on October 7 under sedition and draconian UAPA.
It was a shock for 29-year-old Monis, who works at a private farm in Delhi when his brother Masud Ahmed (26) was arrested for involvement in ‘conspiracy’ to incite caste-based violence in their home state Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Mosin described Masud as a helpful person and a brilliant student and a ray of hope for his family of four siblings and aged parents, who live in Behraich district in eastern Uttar Pradesh. “He believes in education for change. He used to teach many students for qualifying exams. He helped several people with scholarship applications. He would go to backward areas and preach how important education is for the upliftment of disadvantaged groups,” said Monis.
The family is in disbelief that Masud has been charged under an anti-terror law. “Masud has been committed to the cause of social change and this nature of him led him to do volunteer social work and thus he became an activist,” said Monis.
Monis said that Masud was working for community development and chose civil services, which are one of the most decorated jobs in India, as his career. “He has been self-preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination for quite a few years now. Those who are committed to public works cannot think about themselves above their society. For Masud social change through civil services was the objective,” the brother said.
But Masud’s dreams of cracking UPSC and becoming a civil servant seem in jeopardy now as he is facing terror and sedition charges. In an FIR lodged at Mant police station, Masud has been charged under Sections 14 and 17 of the anti-terror UAPA, Section 124 A for Sedition, Sections 65, 72 and 76 of the Information Technology Act, for promoting enmity between groups and outraging religious feelings.
What happened that day?
On October 5, Masud along with three other persons—one of them a journalist, another a fellow student activist and the third a driver— was en route to visit the family of 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras, who was gang-raped and later succumbed to her injuries.
Masud was leading a delegation of Campus Front of India (CFI), a students’ forum (of which he is the Delhi State Secretary), to extend their solidarity with the victim family.
The vehicle in which the delegation and the journalist were travelling was stopped at the Maant Toll Plaza by UP Police and they were questioned. The UP Police claims that they found the movement of the car ‘suspicious’ at the Toll Plaza and detained the persons under section 151 of the CrPC. “All four persons were, however, granted bail in this case on Tuesday,” he said.
The next morning on Wednesday all the four men were charged with the draconian anti-terror Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged motive of ‘conspiracy to cause caste-based violence in the state.’
Notably, the sedition and UAPA charges against the four persons were slapped a day after the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed ‘conspiracies’ against his government while responding to the criticisms of his government’s handling of the rape and murder of a Dalit girl.
Denying the charges labelled against Masud, his brother said, “Is it anti-national or seditious to go to meet someone who is in distress? It seems the police are acting based on the name of the accused. They see the name and act accordingly.”
Mosin alleged that the UP Police was fabricating charges against his brother.
Mosin described his brother as a helpful person.
“It does not matter whether you are Masud’s friend or whether you know him or not, just ask whatever you require, Masud will be there for you”, says Harmeet Kaur, a former batchmate of Masud.
Harmeet, who resides in the United Kingdom at the present, has known Masud for four years and holds Masud as an example of kindness. “He wants to serve the public and that’s why he is preparing for the UPSC.”
“With such heinous charges what the UP government has done is that they have no shown difference between (Ajmal) Kasab and Masud. Now with terror charges against him, I don’t think he can pursue UPSC anymore”, lamented Harmeet.
After completing his schooling from his home town Jarwal, Masud pursued a graduation degree followed by two Masters degrees from Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
His peers and colleagues vouch for the academic excellence of Masud and said that Masud has qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET) consecutive times.
Masud’s dream was to impart education to others, they said.
He reportedly started School Chalo Abhiyan (Let’s Go to School Mission) in backward areas with the help of a non-profit organisation.
“For Masud, education is key to bringing change in society. He used to help people for exams. He would organise educational awareness programmes in various localities to inform students about higher studies”, said Misbah, a friend of Masud.
Apart from being involved in social work, he was actively participating in the protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Apprehensive about his detained brother, his brother Monis said, “We haven’t been able to talk to him or see him. I don’t know how the police are treating him and hope they are not making him sign a fabricated statement.”
Along with Masud, Delhi-based journalist Siddique Kappan, who writes for a Malayalam website, faces the same charges and hasn’t been released despite various journalist groups urging the state government to release him.