A statement issued by Rihai Manch following the release of the manifesto said, under the Yogi government, young people of Dalit, backward class and Muslim communities were being shot and injured in false encounters. There is an effort to implicate youths under false charges. There is a conspiracy to keep them illegally in detention.
Naming those who were shot dead in false encounters in Azamgarh -- Mohan Pasi, Jai Hind Yadav, Mukesh Rajbhar, Ramji Pasi, Rakesh Pasi, and Chunnu Sonkar -- the communique said, those injurednwere not receiving proper medical treatment. The police refuses to part with FIR, medical reports and other important documents, either, to the victims or their families.
During the Bharat Bandh of April 2, 2018, the police resorted to lathi charge and violence against Dalits, backwards and Muslims, the communique said, adding, fictitious lawsuits were instituted and hundreds of young people were locked up in jail and tortured. While bails were granted, cases were not withdrawn.
Then, said Rihai Manch, there have been more than half a dozen incidents of damaging Ambedkar statues in Azamgarh distict. In an incident, the police set up a fake suit on the Dalit who took care of the Ambedkar statue. He was sent it to jail. When people protested against such acts, the police registered a lawsuit against 1,000 unknown people, including 250 women.
Civil society demands include a fair and detailed investigation in fake encounters, release of Muslim youth who have been detained under NSA and dropping of false charges against them, release of innocents arrested in the name of terrorism, withdrawal of false cases registered during the April 2 Bharat Bandh, unbiased investigation into desecration of Ambedkar's statues and photographs, and compensation to victims.
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