Social activist and Congress worker Sadaf Jafar was released from jail on Tuesday, 19 days after she was arrested for her alleged involvement in the violent protests against the amended citizenship act in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.
Jafar, Pawan Rao Ambedkar, former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer SR Darapuri and nine others arrested after the protests last month were granted bail by a local court in the state capital on Saturday.
Jafar hugged her sister after coming out of the jail and thanked Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others for supporting her.
“The fear of being jailed and beaten up has now gone away, thanks to Yogi Ji. I will continue to protest strongly till the time this inhuman law is not withdrawn,” a teary-eyed Sadaf Jafar said, according to ANI.
Darapuri, who was also released, said there is no force that could prevent people from raising their voice.
“The police must be ashamed of beating people, including women, in custody,” he said.
Hazratganj Police had booked Jafar, the only woman arrested, and others on December 19 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1932.
She was among the more than 100 people arrested after the December 19 protests. Those named in the first information reports were booked for rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, wrongful constraints, criminal intimidation, criminal assault on public servant etc.
Jafar was arrested while she was live on Facebook from the spot where the protests had gone violent in the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. She had also posted two videos on Facebook highlighting police inaction when people resorted to vandalism during the protests.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav had attacked the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state and at the Centre over “police crackdown” during protests against the amended citizenship law.
Priyanka Gandhi had met Jafar’s family in Lucknow last month and called out the state government for crossing “all limits of inhumanity” and the police for putting her in jail by “making baseless allegations”.
