3 weeks ago
July 20 protesters accuse police of targeting Muslim-sounding names
Some young people went to a protest to complain about cheating in government exams.
They say the police were very rough with them and hurt them.
A few protesters say police chose them because their names sounded Muslim.
One woman said police beat her and kept her on a bus for three hours.
Another woman said a police officer hit her even though she was walking quietly.
She said people assume she is Muslim just because of her first name.
A man said police hurt injured protesters who were in ambulances going to the hospital.
A famous politician named Rahul Gandhi brought some of them to talk to reporters.
One woman who stopped a police van in Mumbai says people are now bothering her.
The protesters say they will keep standing up for their rights.
Young exam-fraud protesters, presented by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleged police singled them out based on Muslim-sounding names during the July 20 march to Parliament.
Protester Farhanaz of Uttar Pradesh said she was beaten, held on a bus for three hours, and told a separate list would be made for 'traitors'.
Protester Muskan Sharma said a male RAF officer tried to jab a baton at her despite rules, and that her surname is Sharma because people wrongly assume she is Muslim.
Rhiya Ahir, who stopped a police van in Mumbai on July 22, said she is being harassed and still has no FIR from a complaint filed on July 27.
Bharat Banait alleged police assaulted injured protesters after stopping their ambulances, while Nutan Toppo said an officer fired a pellet gun before her ear was mutilated.
- Who
- Young exam-fraud protesters of the Cockroach Janta Party, including Farhanaz, Muskan Sharma, Rhiya Ahir, Nutan Toppo and Bharat Banait, presented by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
- What
- Protesters accused police of singling them out over Muslim-sounding names, beating them, and mistreating the injured during the July 20 march to Parliament.
- Where
- Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street, with a related incident involving Mumbai Police.
- When
- The march took place on July 20; allegations were presented to the media on Wednesday, August 5.
- Why
- Protesters were agitating over exam fraud and allege they were targeted for speaking against the government.
Key facts
- Event
- July 20 march to Parliament over exam fraud
- Key allegation
- Police singled out protesters with Muslim-sounding names
- Protest group
- Cockroach Janta Party (young exam-fraud agitators)
- Presented by
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
- Farhanaz (Uttar Pradesh)
- Beaten, held on a bus for three hours, told a separate list would be made for 'traitors'
- Rhiya Ahir (Mumbai)
- Stopped a police van on July 22; says she prevented 20 children from being unlawfully detained
- FIR status
- Rhiya Ahir filed a complaint on July 27; no FIR as of August 5
- Reported injuries
- Nutan Toppo's ear mutilated after pellet gun fire; injured protesters allegedly assaulted in stopped ambulances
Quotes
Farhanaz
A protester from Uttar Pradesh claiming police discrimination due to her Muslim name
“"We were protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar when these police goons beat us brutally.... The police singled us out based on our names; they judged me simply because I am Muslim."”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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