UP Committee of CPI(ML) New Democracy has condemned UP police for targeting more than 4000 persons for expressing their opinion on the Supreme Court’s 5 Judge bench judgement on the Ayodhya issue. UP police is specially targeting dissent in order to project widespread unanimity and acceptance of the judgement, which is not there. Its targeting is to prevent people from expressing their opinion.

For posting the opinion of party on the issue in social media on 10.11.19, the Bijnor police has targeted party leader Comrade Shamshad Hussain and filed a case no 375/19 u/s 153A IPC and Section 66 of IT Act. The police from PS Kiratpur, went has been pressurising his family to make him to appear. For last 48 hours they have illegally detained his three persons, Irshad Painter, Irshad’s son and Shariq, s/o Nissar all residents of Kiratpur in the Police Station despite the fact that they have no relationship with this FIR registered. Police is not allowing relatives to meet them and give them water and food also.

While Com Shamshad has been away for a meeting, on phone he informed the police that the release he sent is based on the opinion of the party and that there was neither any thing derogatory towards the Courts in it nor any thing which will damage social amity or communal peace. But the police has been belligerently threatening to arrest all the women of the house and book other detained persons.

This act and action against more than 4000 others with 77 arrested till yesterday is a direct suppression of democratic freedom of expression. There are innumberable critiques and opinions of media persons, columnists and parties on judgements of the SC. None have invited wrath of the Bijnor Police chief. Expressing opinions on judgements is a democratic practice and is allowed both under the law and by the Supreme Court.

This tactics of the UP govt is politically motivated to artificially project that all citizens are happy with this judgement, there being no criticisms.

CPI(ML) demands that the UP govt. should stop restore democratic freedom of people and not harass them for expressing opinions on govt actions and court decisions.