Syed Khalique Ahmed | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, JULY 30—While Gujarat Police have issued an externment notice to journalist-activist Kalim Siddiqui on allegations of his involvement in 10 incidents of criminial intimidation and violence, and police FIRs registered in two other cases, the activist has declared to challenge the notice in the Gujarat High Court.
Siddiqui has been issued a showcause notice asking him as to why he should not be externed for a period of two years from Ahmedabad city, Ahmedabad district, Gandhinagar, Kheda and Mehsana districts.
In his reply submitted to Assistant Commissioner of Police (A Division) A M Patel on Thursday, Siddiqui said the allegations levelled by the police are false and not tenable in a court of law.
In the showcause notice, police accused that Siddiqui was involved in a case of rioting in Ramol area of Ahmedabad in August 2018 and participated in an unlawful assembly during anti-CAA protest in Rakhial area of Ahmedabad on December 19, 2019.
In his reply, Siddiqui said that he was acquitted by the court in Ramol case. In case of December anti-CAA protest, there was an FIR registered against 500 unnamed persons.
According to Siddiqui, unlawful assembly is not a strong case for which one can be externed. “Morevoer, there are 500 other people also involved. Why only one person is being externed?”, Siddiqui questions.
Regarding police notice mentioning his involvement in criminal intimidation or violence in 10 other cases in which FIRS were not registered, Siddiqui told India Tomorrow over phone that “police have no record of any incident of intimidation or violence in which I am alleged to be involved”.
“When I asked the police to give me details of the incidents in which I am alleged to be involved, the police replied that the names and addresses of the complainants are secret and the complainants are not ready to register FIR against me”, said Siddiqui.
Siddiqui says, “This puts question mark on the working of the police. The Police Inspector of the area in which the violence are alleged to have taken place should be suspended because he failed to register FIR despite receiving complaints”.
He said that this all shows that police allegations were baseless and intended to harass him because he was on the forefront of Shaheenbaug-style anti-CAA agitation in Ahmedabad.
“Rakhial had emerged as the focal point of anti-CAA agitation which was primarily led by me. Hence, they are targeting me. They are afraid that anti-CAA agitation can be revived once the lockdown is over and normalcy returns”, said Siddiqui.
“I will challenge the showcause notice in the Gujarat high court. The notice is based on false allegations. It can not stand the legal scrutiny. This illegal. This is simply intended to harass me”, says Siddiqui.
He also plans to file a complaint with the Press Council of India saying that the police were harassing him because he had been critical of the state BJP and central government in his write-ups appearing regularly on Janchowk and Down To Earth websites.
