Farha Naz claims police targeted her for being Muslim
Farha Naz alleges police told her on July 20 that a separate list would be made for 'traitors' like her during a protest.
On July 20, during the Parliament march, the police specifically targeted protesters with names that sounded Muslim. This allegation was brought to the media's attention by Farha Naz, a girl involved in the protest against exam irregularities, on Wednesday by Rahul Gandhi. She also alleged that the police stopped ambulances carrying the injured and assaulted them.
Farha Naz, a resident of Uttar Pradesh and a participant in the protest, said,
“We were protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar when these policemen brutally beat us. The police targeted us based on our names. They beat me just because I am Muslim and my name is Farha Naz.”
Farha Naz further stated,
“First, they beat me, then put me in a bus and kept me there for three hours. After that, they asked my name. I said 'Farha Naz', and they said, 'A separate list will be made for them because they are traitors.'”
She added, “My only point is that even if you continue doing this, we will not back down. We will always stand for our rights and our country.” Another female protester, Muskan Sharma, said, “I have just one question - why did the police hit me when I was walking peacefully? Why did the RAF officers lathi-charge me?
“And when there is a clear rule that one cannot be hit above the thigh and no male officer can hit a woman, why did a male RAF officer try to hit my private parts with a lathi?”
Muskan said,
“Secondly, since I mentioned my name is Muskan, I also want to state that my surname is Sharma. I am saying this because nowadays everyone assumes I am Muslim, and because of this, I am facing more abuse and harassment.”
“This says nothing about me, but it says a lot about the narrative being created in this country at this time. If someone speaks against the government, they must be Muslim. And as soon as you label someone as Muslim, they automatically become a 'traitor'.”
After speaking with the students, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said,
“They were not being violent, they were not behaving aggressively or indecently. Despite this, they were beaten, attacked, and threatened. Forcing them to apologise, sending goons to their homes, sending goons to women's homes, even forcing a 15-year-old girl to apologise and then being 'forgiven' by PM Modi. Accepting PM Modi's apology is complete nonsense. Who are they to forgive?”
On July 22, 'Patriot Baddie' Riya Ahir, who gained attention for single-handedly stopping a police van filled with young protesters in Mumbai, was also present at Rahul's media event. She said, “You can recognise me as the girl who went viral for stopping the Mumbai police. But I want to tell the media that I am the girl who stopped 20 children from being illegally detained. However, because of what I did, I am being harassed a lot. This is a crime. And it's not just ordinary people doing this, party workers are also posting very bad things about me on Facebook. I filed a complaint about this crime on July 27. Today is the 5th. I still haven't received an FIR. They neither let daughters study nor let them stay safe... The children I stood up for are now standing up for me...”
Nutan Toppo from Jharkhand, whose ear was severely injured, said that just before getting hurt, she saw a police officer aiming a pellet gun at her. Bharat Banait from Nagpur is seen standing still in a video on Parliament Street during the July 20 march. When the police were beating him with lathis, he was saying, “Hit me, sir, hit me more.” Banait alleged that the police stopped the ambulance carrying injured protesters to the hospital and assaulted the injured. Banait said, “That was the darkest day of my life. A day no one should ever experience.”