AMU sets up help desk for anti-CAA protesters

Aligarh, March 9 (IANS) The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Students Coordination Committee has set up a ‘legal helpdesk’ at the varsity’s Bab-e-Syed monument to provide free legal aid to those who have been booked by the police while protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).The students said that since many of the protesters had been booked under false charges, there was a need to provide legal aid to them.

The students’ committee comprises lawyers and teachers, mainly to assist the booked protesters.Talking to reporters, Imran Khan of the coordination committee said the “fascist” regime has plans to demonize their peaceful anti-CAA protests and also target Muslim activists.”The government wants to criminalize our dissent. So, the committee has planned to constitute a legal helpdesk to fight the witch-hunt under the leadership of senior advocate Asad Hayat,” said Khan.This desk will be functional at the protest site at Bab-e-Syed for three hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

“The AMU coordination committee appeals to citizens of Aligarh to contact us if they feel there is any necessity of legal aid. This help will be selfless,” said Khan, adding that pamphlets in this regard will be distributed across the city.The committee members further said: “We, the people of India, have the right to put our counter ideas against government policies which harm our culture and ethos. It generally seems that government of India is targeting a community during the anti-CAA, NRC and NPR movement.

“Meanwhile, the students also appealed to the state government to release legal activist advocate Mohammad Shoaib of ‘Rihai Manch’.Shoaib was arrested on December 19 and later granted bail. He was again arrested on March 7.Shoaib was picked up by the police from his Lucknow home a day earlier.

–IANSamita/ksk/