Student leader picked up for anti-CAA speech

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Wednesday picked up Salman Ahmad, a member of the Students’ Islamic Organisation (SIO), who was booked by the Nanded police on Tuesday.

Mr. Ahmad, who stays in Nallasopara, is the State president of SIO. He had given a speech against the CAA and NRC on February 1, allegedly urging all Muslims to fight the two laws. After sections of his speech were circulated on social media, the police booked him for promoting enmity on grounds of race and religion.

Crime Branch officers said the Nanded police sought assistance in apprehending Mr. Ahmad, and Unit V was assigned the task. “We ascertained that he was at the SIO office in Vinoba Bhave Nagar, Kurla and picked him up from there,” an officer said.

Calling it a witch-hunt, the SIO released a statement condemning police action against Mr. Ahmad. “His speech has mischievously been taken out of context and edited to present a distorted version. Full clarification regarding its content is already available in the public domain. The media trial he was subjected to and the case registered against him is nothing more than an attempt to delegitimise and silence peaceful democratic protests. This is part of the ongoing targeting of student and youth activists across the country, and we must collectively stand against this silencing of dissent and democratic expression,” it said, demanding his immediate release and dropping of all charges against him.