US panel says India misusing anti-terror law to jail minorities, seeks release of Khalid, Imam
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A United States Panel on religious freedom on Thursday accused India of “weaponising” the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act to detain religious minorities, including activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who remain jailed in pre-trial detention, for “simply engaging in peaceful protests”.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom also urged Washington’s Department of State to work with the Indian authorities to facilitate the release of other “freedom of religion or belief” prisoners.
New Delhi is yet to comment on this statement.
Khalid and Imam have been in judicial custody for six years in connection with the conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots. The trial in the case is yet to begin.
The US panel defines “freedom of religion or belief” prisoners as individuals who are jailed, detained, or placed in confinement by governments primarily because of their religious faith, peaceful worship, or expression of personal beliefs.
It made the statement after the Delhi High Court on September 18 granted bail to British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal, who is accused of targeted killings linked to a transnational conspiracy allegedly involving the Khalistan Liberation Force, a Khalistan separatist group.
Johal was arrested in 2017 in Punjab, Bar and Bench reported. He is accused in eight cases linked to a series of targeted killings and attempted murders in Punjab’s Ludhiana and Jalandhar...