By TCN News
Kabul: Twenty six academics from Afghanistan have sought the release of Masood Ahmed, a scholar and a social from Uttar Pradesh.
On October 5, 2020, the Uttar Pradesh Police in India arrested Masood Ahmed and three other persons, including an Indian journalist, while they were en route to Hathras to visit the bereaved family of a 19-year-old Dalit girl who was gang-raped and subsequently succumbed to her injuries. Later on October 7, 2020, Wednesday, the UP Police charged all of them including Masood with Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, a draconian anti-terror law and also slapped sedition charges.
As a student activist, Masood was leading a delegation along with Atikur Rehman, journalist Siddique Kappan and a driver to Hathras to extend their solidarity. The UP Police intercepted their vehicle at a Toll Plaza in Mathura district and arrested them.
In a statement, the academicians said that the arrest of Masood is a harassment and part of the larger targeting of activists. “In the pretext of ‘conspiracy’ in the Hathras rape and murder case, the incarceration of Masood is totally uncalled for and condemnable. The arrests have come in the wake of widespread criticism for mishandling and appearing unjust to the victim family by the Uttar Pradesh government.”
Masood is a rights activist and has been associated with various community upliftment programmes, some initiated by himself. He has been an advocate of education for marginalised communities and he believes that education is the only headway for the underprivileged communities. While studying in Jamia Millia Islamia, many Afgan students were witness to how he was always at forefront of helping students with applying for various scholarship programs.
The arrests of Masud and his team of delegation seems nothing but a politically motivated stance, they said.
“We, the former Afghan students who studied in various Indian universities and presently working in various capacities back in Afghanistan including the Afghan government condemn the arrest of Masood Ahmed and remain dejected by the treatement meted out to him and the fellow activists by the Uttar Pradesh government. We strongly urge the Indian federal government as well as the Uttar Pradesh government to withdraw all charges against Masood Ahmed unconditionally and demand his immediate release from police custody,” they said.
Here is the full statement with signatories:
