New Delhi: The Students Islamic Organisation has announced that it will fund the education of the three children of Moinul Haque, the man who died after being shot by the Assam Police as he protested against an eviction drive and was then attacked brutally by a photographer.
The SIO, which is the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, met with the families of Haque and 12-year-old Shaikh Farid, who also died protesting against the eviction in Sipajhar village of Darrang district in Assam, on September 23.
SIO national president Salman Ahmad said, “We want them to study in their area of interest as much as they want. We pray for better life and prosperity for them and punishment for those who made them suffer.”
The police as well as an administration-employed photographer were caught on camera brutally shooting, thrashing and stomping on 30-year-old Haque’s body during the ‘anti-encroachment’ eviction.
Screengrab from a video showing Assam police opening fire at Moinul Haque.
Following the incident, the Assam government ordered a probe by a panel headed by a retired high court judge. The cameraperson seen stomping on Haque’s body has been arrested and is currently on 14 days’ judicial remand.
Haque was the sole breadwinner of his family, which comprises his wife, three children and two elderly parents. The vegetables Haque grew gave him meagre earnings.
His two sons, Moqsidul and Muqaddas Ali, are 13 and 14 years old respectively, and his daughter Manzoora, is nine.
Following his death, his wife and elderly parents have moved to the tin makeshift relief camp that has been set up for the 800 families that had been uprooted in the eviction. Nearly all of them are Muslims of East Bengal origin.
Shaheed #MoinulHaque bhai’s evicted house. He was living here with his wife, childrens & brothers.
3rd & 4th pic is of broken roof top & side walls of his home.#WeAreAllMoinulHaque pic.twitter.com/LWMUGUbIJg— Mohammad Salman (@writesalman) September 28, 2021
Suhail Ahmed, SIO’s north east organiser, told The Wire that this is part of a targeted “witch hunt” of minorities, especially Muslims, by the state and the encouragement given to fringe and vigilante groups by state agencies.
He said, “The Himanta Biswa Sharma administration is using every trick in the book to systematically marginalise, alienate and disenfranchise the Muslim population in the state. In the process, it appears successful in polarising a large section of the society, including the police force.”
Also read: The Police Did Not Bungle in Assam, They Committed a Horrific Crime
The SIO said that the makeshift relief camp is situated in a flood-prone area with no road access. Victims are in dire need of basic facilities such as water, food and medicines,.
Earlier, a joint delegation of the SIO, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind had met chief minister Sarma, his brother and Darrang SP Siddhartha Biswa Sarma and Darrang Deputy Commissioner Prabhati Thaosen, the statement said.
The three organisations raised the issues of police brutality and eviction of Muslims in Assam, and demanded action against police personnel involved in violence on displaced Muslims. They also asked for compensation for both the police and civilians killed and injured during violence and urged the administration to rehabilitate the people dislocated by the administration.
Sarma assured them of his help, the SIO’s statement said.