India

‘In his writing, Muslims have been portrayed as victims’, UP STF says about Siddique Kappan in charge-sheet

Delhi-based Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, who has been jailed under UAPA since October 2020, “only and only reports to incite Muslims”, the UP Special Task Force (STF) has stated in the charge sheet filed against him in the Hathras conspiracy case, Maktoob Media reported.

The 5,000-page charge sheet highlights portions from 36 articles written by Kappan for a Malayalam media house on the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering after the coronavirus outbreak, protest against CAA, anti-Muslim pogrom in northeast Delhi, the Ram temple in the site of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, and the charge sheet against Muslim student activist Sharjeel Imam who was jailed on sedition and UAPA charges, reported Indian Express.

The newspaper also reported that the police in BJP ruling state claimed that Kappan did not write like a responsible journalist and sympathise with Maoists and Communists.

“In the writing, the Muslims have been portrayed as victims (who) were beaten up by police and were asked to go to Pakistan. It is evident from the writing that it has been done to incite Muslims,” read a note in the chargesheet, referring to one of the news stories written by Kappan during the CAA protests in Aligarh Muslim University.

The claims of UP STF continue: “These writings of Siddique Kappan, to a great extent, can be classified as communal. During riots, taking the name of a minority and talking about events related to them can incite sentiments. Responsible journalists do not do such communal reporting. Kappan only and only reports to incite Muslims, which is a hidden agenda of PFI (Popular Front of India). Some stories were written to sympathise with Maoists and Communists,” Maktoob Media reported.

According to Indian Express, the news stories are part of data obtained from Kappan’s laptop after it had been sent to the forensic laboratory.

The chargesheet even claims that Kerala journalist worked as a think tank of the Popular Front of India.

Kappan was attempting to publish “anti-Hindu” stories in the Malayalam media and had plans to inflame the Delhi riots, according to the UP police. He tried to hide the death of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma and head constable Ratan Lal, and downplayed the alleged role of suspended AAP councilor Tahir Hussain, in the Delhi riots, the 5,000-pagecharge sheet highlights.

Meanwhile, Kappan’s family said to Maktoob Media that they didn’t get a copy of the chargesheet even after six months of filing it.

“We have not received the chargesheet,” Raihanath, wife of Siddique Kappan told Maktoob on Friday.

Raihanath had held multiple protests ever since he got arrested by the UP police, seeking justice for him.

 

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