Safoora Zargar

Student Activist

Delhi

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on April 28, 2020, regarding the illegal detention and arrest, intimidation, and fabricated cases against Ms. Safoora Zargar, a Jamia Milia Islamia University student and member of the Jamia Coordination Committee.

On April 10, 2020, a 10-12 member police team (including a woman) escorted a pregnant Ms. Zargar and her husband from their residence to the Special Cell in Lodhi Colony on the pretext of questioning her and illegally detained the couple for seven hours. Whereas FIR no. 48/2020, registered on March 23, 2020, under Sections 188, 353, 284, 341,109, 147 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), did not name Ms. Zargar, police officials arrested her after forcing her and her husband to sign on blank papers and forged statements. They accused Ms. Zargar of organising a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) beneath Seelampur-Jaffrabad Metro Station on February 22, 2020, which resulted in a roadblock.

Ms. Zargar was granted bail on April 13, 2020 but was arrested again on the same day by personnel from the Special Cell. She was charged under Sections 147, 148, 149, 120 (B), 302, 307, 124A, 153A, 186,53, 395, 427,435, 436, 452, 454, 109, 114 of the IPC along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP) and 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, and transferred to Tihar jail on April 15, 2020 without informing her lawyer or husband. On April 21, 2020, she was also charged under Section 13, 16, 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Ms. Zargar was refused bail on the basis of certain technical and electronic evidence provided by the police, whereas jail authorities did not allow her husband and lawyer to meet her on several occasions despite complications in her pregnancy.