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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Red sandalwood worth Rs 1.75 cr seized, five held
Bengaluru (PTI): Red sandalwood worth Rs 1.75 crore have been seized by the city police, by cracking two cases of an inter-state smuggling operation, police said.
Five people have been arrested in this connection, they added.
Police intercepted the vehicles carrying the red sandalwood in Hulimavu police station and R T Nagar police station limits on their way from Andhra Pradesh, based on a tip-off.
The total worth of seized logs is Rs 1.75 crore, city police chief Seemanth Kumar Singh told reporters here on Thursday.
In both cases, the consignments were coming from Andhra Pradesh. While in one case it was going to Tamil Nadu, in the other, the destination was Bengaluru.
Four vehicles in total have been seized.
