Trilok Singh
As per the recent inputs here, An IAS aspirant was among those killed in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest that claimed two lives in last week’s violence in UP. Meanwhile, UP DGP O.P. Singh stated that, “not a single bullet was fired” during the unrest, the Bijnor police for the first time has admitted to have opened fire in self defence during the protests.
While the Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, had visited Bijnor on Sunday and had met the families of Suleman and Anis. The families claim the police intimidated them after the incident and warned them not to speak to anyone about the incident.
As per the report, Bijnor was among the Uttar Pradesh districts where violence broke out on Dec 20 over the concerned Act. Although, Bijnor Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Tyagi stated that, “When one of our constables moved ahead to take back the gun that was snatched away by the protesters, a member of the crowd opened fire at him”. He had a narrow escape.
Moreover, In retaliatory and self-defence firing, one person was shot at. His friends had taken him away. His name is Suleman and he died. One more protester named, Anis, died in firing from the crowd.” Notably, “Suleman”, 20, was preparing for his civil services entrance exam and that he had nothing to do with the protests, the report said.
Following the same, “My brother had gone to offer namaaz. He was returning home after the namaaz to eat something. He had fever for the last couple of days. He did not go to the mosque near our home. He went to another mosque. When he stepped out, there was lathi-charge and tear-gassing by the police. The police picked him up and shot at him,” Suleman’s brother ‘Shoaib Malik’ asserted.
Eighteen people have died in the state, many of them from bullet injuries, but the state police has maintained that it has not fired a single bullet at protesters anywhere. Despite all of this; The Act, for the first time, makes religion the test of citizenship in India. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries to get citizenship if they come to India because of religious persecution.
(Author Trilok Singh is with CEO here).
