Student activist Afreen Fatima vows resilience in adversity
Prayagraj: Afreen Fatima, the student activist whose family home in Prayagraj was demolished following her father Javed Mohammed's arrest, expressed unwavering determination on Thursday, emphasizing that she and her community would not be silenced despite facing threats.
Javed and Fatima are affiliated with the Welfare Party of India, with Fatima serving as the national secretary of the Fraternity Movement, the student wing of the party. Javed was arrested as one of the alleged co-conspirators of the June 10 violence stemming from suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma's comments about the Prophet.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the Fraternity Movement via Zoom, Fatima asserted, "I stand in absolute solidarity with all Muslim families whose houses have been demolished... Whatever has happened with my father, Janaab Javed Mohammed Sahab, and with my family and to our house, is known to everyone."
Despite acknowledging her family's relative privilege, Fatima expressed empathy for those less fortunate whose homes were also destroyed. She declared her family's refusal to be intimidated, stating, "No matter how much you try to scare and threaten us, or trouble us by putting us in jail, we will not keep quiet or be silenced, nor are we going to disappear from this country."
Fatima remained steadfast in her belief in her father's innocence, and her commitment to proving it. Javed's wife, Parveen Fatima, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the charges against her husband were baseless. The family's primary focus, she stated, was to substantiate Javed's innocence and secure his release.
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Fake, completely fabricated: MEA on report claiming 'secret memo' targeting Sikh separatists
New Delhi, Dec 11: India has described as "fake" and "completely fabricated" a media report claiming that a "secret memo" was issued by New Delhi in April to take "concrete" measures against certain Sikh separatists, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Sunday that the report is part of a "sustained disinformation campaign" against India and the outlet that published it is known for propagating "fake narratives" peddled by Pakistani intelligence.
The report was published by online American media outlet "The Intercept".
"We strongly assert that such reports are fake and completely fabricated. There is no such memo," Bagchi said.
"This is part of a sustained disinformation campaign against India. The outlet in question is known for propagating fake narratives peddled by Pakistani intelligence. The posts of the authors confirm this linkage," he added.
"Those who amplify such fake news do so only at the cost of their own credibility," Bagchi said, responding to media queries on the report.
In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau levelled the allegation of "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Nijjar on Canadian soil on June 18.
India strongly dismissed the charges, terming them "absurd".
"The Intercept", in its report, claimed that the Indian government issued instructions on a "crackdown scheme" against certain Sikh entities in western countries.
It further claimed that the secret memorandum issued by the MEA in April lists several "Sikh dissidents under investigation by India's intelligence agencies, including the Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar".
