Delhi police condemned for targeting rights activist Nadeem Khan in Bangalore
Bangalore: India-based human rights organization, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has strongly condemned the Delhi police for the targeted harassment of Nadeem Khan, a prominent human rights activist for been vocal in its advocacy against hate crimes and mob lynchings in India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, PUCL in a statement issued in New Delhi stated that the incident occurred on November 30, when Nadeem Khan, was coerced and intimidated by Delhi Police officers at his brother’s residence in Bangalore.
The statement read that four police officers, including the Station House Officer (SHO) from the Shaheen Bagh police station in Delhi, arrived at Khan’s residence without a warrant or prior notice, demanding that he accompany them back to Delhi for questioning.
Despite the lack of a warrant or legal procedures, the officers spent nearly six hours pressuring Nadeem Khan and his family to comply.
The human rights group criticized the police for not following due process. The group said that this is part of a broader pattern of harassment against Nadeem Khan who is also National General Secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR).
PUCL stated that the filing the FIR against Khan’s activism, which has drawn the ire of right-wing Hindutva social media users who frequently target him over his criticisms of police actions and state complicity in violence.
“This is a blatant attack on freedom of speech and an attempt to criminalize the advocacy of civil liberties and constitutional rights,” PUCL asserted. The organization also called for the immediate quashing of the FIR, an end to the ongoing harassment of Khan.
