A people’s tribunal that included retired judges on Thursday concluded that had been a complete collapse of law and order in Uttar Pradesh, where the police had inflicted violence on Muslims and those peacefully protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
At the hearing organised by several civil society groups here, the jury, which included retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice A.P. Shah, retired Supreme Court judge Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy and Prof. Irfan Habib, heard from activists, doctors and lawyers about their experiences with the U.P. police since the wake of anti-CAA protests.
The jury concluded the day-long session by finding: “The state of affairs in U.P. shows a complete collapse of rule of law. In fact the very State administration that is charged with protecting the rule of law is perpetrating violence upon its own people.”
Among those who spoke of their experiences was Congress worker and actor Sadaf Jafar, had been arrested by the police while recording a video at a protest in Lucknow on December 19. Out on bail now, she recounted her experience of being beaten by the police.
The event was organised by AIDWA, Anhad, CJAR, Constitutional Conduct Group, Delhi Science Forum, Karwan E Mohabbat, NAPM and Not In My Name campaign.
