“The Station House Officer said: ‘We will not let your son become an MBBS doctor.’”

हमें इस बात का अफसोस है कि पुलिस बेवजह हमें परेशान कर रही है।

मेरा नाम रियाजुद्दीन अंसारी है, मेरी उम्र 67 वर्ष है, और मेरे पिता का नाम स्व. जलील अहमद है। मेरी चार बेटियाँ और चार बेटे हैं, सभी विवाहित हैं। मैं बिनकारी का काम करता हूँ और करधना (भटपुरवा), थाना मिर्जामुराद, जिला वाराणसी का मूल निवासी हूँ।

9 अगस्त 2022 को मुहर्रम का त्योहार था और मैं घर पर ही था। लगभग डेढ़ बजे मैं इमाम चौक पर गया, जहां सभी जगहों की ताजिया का इंतजार हो रहा था। तभी पता चला कि जंसा की ताजिया करधना बाजार, सच्चा लाल जायसवाल की दुकान के पास पहुँच चुकी थी। दुकान के पास एक जामुन का पेड़ था, जिसकी छोटी डाल को हटाने के लिए लोग लग्घी से कोशिश करने लगे, जिससे वह डाल टूट गई।

इसी बात को लेकर बाजार के स्थानीय लोग, जैसे सच्चा लाल उर्फ खदेरू जायसवाल, बच्चा लाल उर्फ बबलू, छोटे लाल, भैया लाल उर्फ बबकुन, मोनू उर्फ राहुल जायसवाल, किशन जायसवाल, राजन जायसवाल उर्फ शनि जायसवाल, पवन जायसवाल, श्रीराम जायसवाल, पुनवासी जायसवाल, शिवरण जायसवाल, राजेश जायसवाल, राकेश जायसवाल और सुधु जायसवाल, जय श्री राम का नारा देते हुए, जंसा वालों को जाति सूचक गालियाँ देने लगे और ईंट-पत्थर चलाने लगे।

हम लोग मौके पर मौजूद नहीं थे, लेकिन बाद में पता चला कि छतों से भी पत्थर फेंके जा रहे थे। इस सब से काफी डर का माहौल बन गया। ताजिया लेकर आ रहे लोग अपनी जान बचाने के लिए ताजिया छोड़कर भागने लगे। फिर इन लोगों ने ताजिया को लाठी, डंडे और राड से तोड़ दिया।

प्रधानपति नेसार अहमद को इस घटना की जानकारी मिली और उन्होंने मिर्जामुराद थानाध्यक्ष को फोन किया। कई पुलिसकर्मी मौके पर पहुंचे और टूटे ताजिया को बोरी में भरकर थाने भेजा गया। उस समय चारों ओर सन्नाटा था और गांव के लोग हिम्मत नहीं जुटा पा रहे थे। कुछ देर बाद लोग चौक पर थे और फिर अपने घरों को लौट गए। रात को करीमुद्दीन अंसारी (ताजियादार) को प्रधानपति थाने लेकर गए, जहां अधिकारियों ने हस्ताक्षर कराकर लिखवाया।

दूसरे दिन पुलिस बस्ती में आई और नौ लोगों को थाने चलने के लिए कहा, यह कहकर कि "हम साइन कराकर छोड़ देंगे।" लेकिन जब लोग थाने पहुंचे, तो उन्हें बैठाकर जेल भेजने की प्रक्रिया शुरू कर दी। यह सब सुनकर बहुत दुख हुआ क्योंकि पुलिस बिना सोचे-समझे बेकसूर लोगों को जेल भेज रही थी, जबकि हममें से कोई भी घटना स्थल पर मौजूद नहीं था।

जायसवाल बस्ती के लोगों का नाम जानता था क्योंकि हम वहां से सामान लाते थे, और उसने पुलिस को सभी का नाम-पता बता दिया। इस आधार पर बस्ती के लोग पुलिस द्वारा परेशान हो रहे हैं।

इस घटना के बाद से मन में डर बैठ गया है। पुलिस दबिश दे रही है और इसके डर से लोग घर छोड़कर भाग रहे हैं, काम पर नहीं जा पा रहे हैं, और हर जगह तंगहाली का माहौल है। लोग एक-एक दाने के लिए तरस रहे हैं। हमें इस बात का अफसोस है कि पुलिस बेवजह हमें परेशान कर रही है, जबकि इससे हमारा कोई लेना-देना नहीं है। रात को नींद नहीं आती और डर बना रहता है। यह सुनने में आया है कि चार पुलिस वालों को सस्पेंड कर दिया गया है, लेकिन आज नहीं तो कल, वे सभी बहाल हो जाएंगे। लेकिन जिन लोगों पर गंभीर धाराएँ लगी हैं, उनका क्या होगा? वे अपने बच्चों का पेट भरेंगे या कोर्ट-कचहरी का चक्कर लगाएँगे?

स्थानीय पुलिस ने बिना वजह हमारे गांववालों को नामजद किया है। इस मामले की निष्पक्ष जाँच होनी चाहिए, ताकि वे बाईज्जत बरी हो सकें।

Testimony of Riyazuddin Ansari: Unjust Harassment by Police

My name is Riyazuddin Ansari, I am 67 years old, and my father’s name was the late Jaleel Ahmad. I have four daughters and four sons, all of whom are married. I work as a scrap dealer and I am a native of Karadhna (Bhathpurwa), Thana Mirzapur, District Varanasi.

On 9th August 2022, it was the festival of Muharram, and I was at home. Around 1:30 PM, I went to Imam Chowk, where everyone was waiting for the arrival of the tazias. I then learned that the tazia from Jansa had arrived near Sacha Lal Jaiswal’s shop in Karadhna Bazaar. There was a jamun tree near the shop, and people started trying to remove a small branch with a rope, which broke off.

Local residents of the market, including Sacha Lal (alias Khedaru Jaiswal), Bachha Lal (alias Babloo), Chhote Lal, Bhaiya Lal (alias Babakun), Monu (alias Rahul Jaiswal), Kishan Jaiswal, Rajan Jaiswal (alias Shani Jaiswal), Pawan Jaiswal, Shri Ram Jaiswal, Punwasi Jaiswal, Shivran Jaiswal, Rajesh Jaiswal, Rakesh Jaiswal, and Sudhu Jaiswal, started shouting “Jai Shri Ram” and hurling caste-based abuses at the Jansa people, throwing stones and bricks.

We were not present at the scene, but later we learned that local people had also thrown stones from their rooftops. This created a lot of fear. The people who were bringing the tazia fled to save their lives, abandoning the tazia. After this, the local people broke the tazia with sticks, rods, and poles.

This news reached the village head, Nasar Ahmad, who then called the Thana in Mirzapur. Police from several stations arrived at the scene, and the broken tazia was packed in a sack and sent to the Mirzapur police station. At that moment, there was complete silence, and the villagers lacked the courage to bury the tazia (cool down) in the graveyard. After some time, people returned to their homes, and Karimuddin Ansari (the taziadar) was taken to the police station by the village head. Officials were present at the station, where they took his signature and recorded his statement.

The next day, the police came to our locality and took nine people with the assurance that they would be released after signing a statement. However, when they arrived at the police station, they were detained and sent to jail. This situation caused great distress. The police were sending innocent people to jail without reason, even though no one from our village was present at the scene of the incident.

The Jaiswal family knew the names of the people involved because they were familiar with us from whom we bought goods. They gave the police the names of those from our locality, and based on this information, the police began harassing us.

After this incident, a sense of fear has settled in. The police have been raiding our houses, and out of fear, people have fled their homes. They are unable to go to work, and there is a sense of poverty everywhere. People are struggling for food. We regret that the police are unnecessarily harassing us, even though we had no involvement in this incident. We cannot sleep at night due to constant fear. We have heard that four police officers have been suspended, but they will be reinstated soon. However, what will happen to those who have been charged with serious crimes? Will they feed their children or keep running to court?

The local police have unnecessarily named our villagers in this case. A fair investigation should be conducted so that they can be acquitted with dignity.

Analysis

1. Violation of Fundamental Rights: Under the Indian Constitution, particularly Article 21, every citizen has the right to life and personal liberty. This includes the right to freedom from arbitrary detention and the right to live without the fear of harassment or coercion from state authorities. The unjust police actions in Riyazuddin Ansari's testimony indicate a violation of these fundamental rights. People were detained and harassed without sufficient evidence, which contravenes the due process of law guaranteed by the Constitution.

2. Abuse of Power by Law Enforcement: The actions of the local police in harassing innocent people and making them sign false statements for their release are an abuse of power. According to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), such behavior can be classified as misuse of authority and false imprisonment. The situation described suggests that the police overstepped their boundaries, acting on hearsay and local biases without conducting a proper investigation. This is a breach of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that mandates legal procedures for arrests and investigations.

3. Caste Discrimination: The report mentions caste-based abuses against the Jansa people. This indicates a violation of the rights guaranteed under the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of caste (Article 15).

4. Impact on Social Harmony: The attack on the tazia, a cultural and religious symbol, and the subsequent unrest, including caste-based abuses, reflect a deepening communal divide. India’s Constitution envisions an inclusive society where diversity is celebrated, and communal harmony is paramount. Police actions that fail to curb communal violence only contribute to exacerbating societal tensions.

5. UN Human Rights Standards: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), particularly Article 9 (which protects the right against arbitrary arrest), Article 2 (which prohibits discrimination), and Article 7 (which ensures equality before the law), are all breached by these actions. The harassment and targeting of individuals based solely on their community background or involvement in a public incident violate these international standards.

6. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The SDGs, especially Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), emphasize the importance of promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensuring equal access to justice for all. The actions of the police, which hinder justice and contribute to an environment of fear, contradict the spirit of this goal, which calls for ensuring accountable and transparent institutions that protect the rights of all citizens.

In conclusion, the events described in the testimony represent a failure in law enforcement to uphold justice, equality, and human rights. A fair investigation and legal remedies are essential to restoring the dignity of the affected individuals and ensuring that similar violations do not occur in the future.