CJP volunteer Junaid claims Delhi cops detained him over protest food distribution
A volunteer at the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest against paper leaks has alleged that he was blindfolded and kept overnight after being stopped by people
A volunteer at the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest against paper leaks has alleged that he was blindfolded and kept overnight after being stopped by people who identified themselves as Delhi Police, while questions over the protest's food arrangements and his family's questioning have triggered a political row. Mohammad Junaid, a Ghaziabad resident who has been providing free food and drinking water to protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, made the allegations while recounting the events that preceded the controversy surrounding his detention and the subsequent police action involving his family. Read Full Story Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi also met Junaid and extended his support to the CJP volunteer, saying he had heard his account and would raise the issue in Parliament. ‘WE THOUGHT THEY WERE TRYING TO KILL US’ Junaid, who was distributing food to students at Jantar Mantar, was picked up by Delhi Police on the night of July 24 and allegedly taken to Uttarakhand. He said he was kept blindfolded throughout the night and was questioned the next morning about the source of funding for the food being distributed at the protest. According to Junaid, the incident took place after he was bitten by a dog at around 10.50 pm or 10.55 pm. He said he took the dog to RML Hospital and left the hospital at around 12.10 am. Junaid said he and others then took an auto to return. "As soon as we reached 50-60 metres away, some people came and parked their vehicles. At first, we thought they were trying to kill us," Junaid alleged. He said the people then identified themselves as Delhi Police. "They said, 'Don't worry, we are Delhi Police'. I said, 'Show me your card, it will make me feel better'. They showed it to us," he said. Junaid alleged that the group then blindfolded them and took them away. He said he was kept blindfolded throughout the night.
"I don't know where they took us. We were kept there for the whole night. They said they would release us in 10 minutes if we gave them a satisfactory answer," he alleged. According to Junaid, the officers returned the next morning and questioned him about the protest's food arrangements. "Where does the funding come from? How are you distributing so much food?" he said, recalling the questions asked by the officers. Junaid said he explained that volunteers collectively arranged the food, with some ordering packets through food delivery platforms and others bringing food and water to the protest site. He alleged that after the questioning, he was left in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. Junaid then took a cab from Mussoorie and returned to Delhi. JUNAID SEEKS LEGAL SUPPORT Asked whether the CJP was supporting him, Junaid said the organisation should support him as he had supported the protest and its members. "They should support us. We have supported them. We have fought with them. Their legal team is working," he said. Junaid said he had received one or two calls from CJP spokesperson Ratna Singh. "They should focus on this issue. There should be a legal team. There should be action," he said. Asked whether he had spoken to anyone else from the organisation, Junaid said he had not received any further response. JUNAID'S FAMILY ALLEGES POLICE ACTION IN GHAZIABAD The controversy later widened after Junaid's family alleged that police from Ghaziabad's Masoori police station reached their residence in Nahal village on Thursday evening and searched the premises. The family alleged that Junaid's father, Mustafa, was taken away by the police and that bank passbooks and PAN cards belonging to family members were also taken, PTI reported. Junaid's sister told the media that police asked her father to call Junaid and ask him to return home. Junaid also alleged that his relatives in neighbouring Meerut had been harassed.
The BriefWire