Detention of Md Chingiz Khan decried
Source: The Sangai Express
New Delhi, April 10 2020:
Delhi Association of Manipur Muslim Students has strongly protested the detention of PhD scholar from JNU Md Chingiz Khan for writing a column in a Manipuri daily Ichel Express, criticising the Government, stated a press release issued by Delhi Association of Manipur Muslim Students.
Claiming that the charges against Md Chingiz Khan are bogus, the association strongly condemned his arrest and said that such an act is an assault on democratic values and rights of an individual.
It further said that mere criticisms of Government's policy and program cannot be ground for detaining a person, referring to the case of S Rangarajan versus Jagjivan Ram where Supreme Court said "Everyone has a fundamental right to form his opinion on any issues of general concern.
Open criticism of Government policies and operations is not a ground for restricting expression.
Intolerance is as much dangerous to democracy as to the person himself.
In democracy, it is not necessary that everyone should sing the same song" .
The association therefore demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Md Chingiz Khan and also appealed international and National human rights bodies to look into the matter.
The Manipur Students' Association Delhi (MSAD) has also strongly criticised the detention, saying that the grounds for detaining Chengiz Khan are baseless and he should be immediately released, said a press release issued by MSAD.
Detaining a person for criticising the Government is not the first, however, it must be stopped, it said.
Considering the act as fascist, MSAD has condemned the act and demanded his release.