Pune city Muslims to protest ATS arrest of cleric in Uttar Pradesh
Kul Jamaat E Tanzeem, a group representing various Muslim organisations in Pune city will hold a protest in front of the District Collectorate on Wednesday afternoon, to protest the arrest of cleric Maulana Kalimuddin Siddiqui by Uttar Pradesh’s anti- terrorist squad (ATS) on September 22
PUNE The Kul Jamaat E Tanzeem, a group representing various Muslim organisations in the city will hold a protest in front of the District Collectorate on Wednesday afternoon, to protest the arrest of cleric Maulana Kalimuddin Siddiqui by Uttar Pradesh’s anti- terrorist squad (ATS) on September 22.
The group announced the protest at a press meet held at the Patrakar Sangh on Monday.
Convenor of the group Zahid Shaikh said, “The arrest of Maulana Kaleemuddin Siddiqui is aimed at targeting scholars of Islam and clerics, as part of the right-wing policy of the UP government. His arrest is ‘undemocratic’ and ‘unconstitutional’. The charges of illegal funding and conversions carry no grain of truth. We will strongly protest against the UP government and submit a memorandum to the district collector.”
Azar Tamboli, a Muslim leader present at the press meet said, “The UP government has deliberately targeted religious scholars taking into account the political dividend it wants to reap in the future. However, we will raise our voices through the democratic mode of protest, so that such injustices being done to the Muslim community are stopped by the right-wing government in UP. We demand that the fake cases lodged against clerics be withdrawn immediately. This incident is a pre-planned conspiracy, building a false narrative through propaganda for political benefit.”
Organisations which will participate in the protest include Popular Front of India, All India Imam’s Council, Jamat-E-Islami E Hind, The Muslim Foundation, Jamiat Ulema E Hind, and the Seerat Committee, among others.