BENGULURU/NEW DELHI : As many as 66 members of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) have signed a solidarity statement demanding the immediate release of pregnant student activist Safoora Zargar and several others, who are currently languishing behind bars, even as the Center for Human Rights at the American Bar Association (ABA) said her detention lacks evidence.
The Delhi Police had booked Safoora, a Jamia Millia Islamia student, under the UAPA in a case of communal violence in northeast Delhi over the CAA in February. The student activist, along with others, was also protesting against NRC and NPR.
The 66 signatories alleged that while Safoora, other students as well as senior citizens, including professors, continue to suffer in “crowded prisons” at a time COVID-19 is peaking, “the real perpetrators that incited violence in Delhi, including a union minister,” have gone scot-free.
According to the signatories, the government has refused to heed appeals made by them to release the activists.
“Given the lack of clear evidence of criminal conduct, her pregnant condition, and the failure of prosecutors to specifically explain how Zargar poses a threat if granted bail, Zargar should be allowed to furnish a bail bond and be in her home with her family until the appropriate time for her legal hearings.
The Center urges the Court to uphold India’s moral and legal obligations given the pandemic and order the immediate release of Zargar,” the report read. The ABA said her detention does not appear to meet international human rights standards.