They were booked for attempt to murder but the police failed to produce any evidence of their presence near the violence site.
They were booked for attempt to murder but the police failed to produce any evidence of their presence near the violence site.
The court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Saharanpur ordered the release of eight of the 62 people arrested in connection with the violence in the city on June 10. Court order, copy of which is with us. HinduReads that the investigation by the Investigating Officer (IO) against the eight accused who were released by the court was faulty and they were produced before the court without any just cause or evidence.
Mr Babar Wasim, the lawyer representing the case, told Hindu That the judge had ordered the release of eight people last Saturday, four of whom are seen in a video of police beating up that went viral on social media.
“Can you imagine that the police beat up these people so badly even though they had no evidence against them? The police did not listen to them even as they kept pleading not guilty and having no role in the violence,” Mr Wasim said.
The counsel further said that the CJM in his oral remarks said that the police had no right to beat up the people in the lockup and that the act was indeed cowardly.
Viral ‘return gift’ video
To recall, violence broke out in Saharanpur on June 10, when hundreds of people gathered outside the city’s main mosque after Friday prayers to protest remarks made against Prophet Mohammad by two former BJP spokespersons. As the protests turned violent, the police registered three separate FIRs in the matter and named hundreds of residents, who they claimed were identified on the basis of CCTV footage.
Soon after the violence, a video of police brutality went viral, which was first tweeted by Deoria MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi. In the video, seven to eight people were brutally thrashed by the police inside a room. Tripathi wrote on his Twitter that the beating was a ‘return gift’ for the rioters.
Arrests without evidence
“He claimed to have arrested my brother on the basis of the CCTV footage, but later he told the court that there was no evidence against him. Is this a joke?” asked Mohammad Arif, brother of Mohammad Asif, who was released on Sunday after spending 23 days in jail, for a crime he had never committed.
Mrs Shabana Ali, the mother of 19-year-old Mohammad Kaif, who was also released by the court, told Hindu Three members of his family were arrested on June 10 and all were released for lack of evidence.
“My son is in shock and is barely talking. He spent so many days in jail for something he had never done. They had also arrested my brother-in-law Mohammad Furqan and his son Abdul Samad. We have faced a lot of trauma and social boycott,” said Shabana.
Rajesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police of Saharanpur city told Hindu That eight of the 62 people arrested in connection with the June 10 violence were released.
Asked about the investigation into the video of police beating up in the lockup, Mr Kumar said it is on and he has nothing concrete to share.
Apart from releasing eight people from the city, the local courts in Saharanpur have so far granted bail to eight people from Mirzapur (Rural) and around 11 in Deoband.
Saharanpur court orders release of 8 accused of violence due to lack of evidence
They were booked for attempt to murder but the police failed to produce any evidence of their presence near the violence site.
They were booked for attempt to murder but the police failed to produce any evidence of their presence near the violence site.
The court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Saharanpur ordered the release of eight of the 62 people arrested in connection with the violence in the city on June 10. Court order, copy of which is with us. HinduReads that the investigation by the Investigating Officer (IO) against the eight accused who were released by the court was faulty and they were produced before the court without any just cause or evidence.
Mr Babar Wasim, the lawyer representing the case, told Hindu That the judge had ordered the release of eight people last Saturday, four of whom are seen in a video of police beating up that went viral on social media.
“Can you imagine that the police beat up these people so badly even though they had no evidence against them? The police did not listen to them even as they kept pleading not guilty and having no role in the violence,” Mr Wasim said.
The counsel further said that the CJM in his oral remarks said that the police had no right to beat up the people in the lockup and that the act was indeed cowardly.
Viral ‘return gift’ video
To recall, violence broke out in Saharanpur on June 10, when hundreds of people gathered outside the city’s main mosque after Friday prayers to protest remarks made against Prophet Mohammad by two former BJP spokespersons. As the protests turned violent, the police registered three separate FIRs in the matter and named hundreds of residents, who they claimed were identified on the basis of CCTV footage.
Soon after the violence, a video of police brutality went viral, which was first tweeted by Deoria MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi. In the video, seven to eight people were brutally thrashed by the police inside a room. Tripathi wrote on his Twitter that the beating was a ‘return gift’ for the rioters.
Arrests without evidence
“He claimed to have arrested my brother on the basis of the CCTV footage, but later he told the court that there was no evidence against him. Is this a joke?” asked Mohammad Arif, brother of Mohammad Asif, who was released on Sunday after spending 23 days in jail, for a crime he had never committed.
Mrs Shabana Ali, the mother of 19-year-old Mohammad Kaif, who was also released by the court, told Hindu Three members of his family were arrested on June 10 and all were released for lack of evidence.
“My son is in shock and is barely talking. He spent so many days in jail for something he had never done. They had also arrested my brother-in-law Mohammad Furqan and his son Abdul Samad. We have faced a lot of trauma and social boycott,” said Shabana.
Rajesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police of Saharanpur city told Hindu That eight of the 62 people arrested in connection with the June 10 violence were released.
Asked about the investigation into the video of police beating up in the lockup, Mr Kumar said it is on and he has nothing concrete to share.
Apart from releasing eight people from the city, the local courts in Saharanpur have so far granted bail to eight people from Mirzapur (Rural) and around 11 in Deoband.