Mumbai, June 8: “Police are loyal not to the Constitution and their responsibility to uphold the law, but feel more responsible and loyal to the people who appointed them,” senior lawyer Yusuf Muchhala said in Mumbai on Monday while announcing resolutions adopted at a meeting of the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM).
Muslim leaders and representatives of other minority groups attended the press conference to discuss five resolutions passed at a meeting on proposed laws held earlier in the day at Islam Gymkhana.
Concerns over Freedom of Religion Act
Speakers said the proposed Freedom of Religion Act, which has been cleared by both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature, would violate freedom of worship and could be misused to implicate innocent people.
A representative of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) said that despite legal challenges to anti-conversion laws pending before the Supreme Court, the Maharashtra government was moving ahead with similar legislation.
“The Maharashtra government has justified the law by claiming there is no legislation against forced religious conversions, but it has yet to present any study or Law Commission report on the issue. The burden of proof is placed on the accused. We consider such laws draconian,” the PUCL representative said.
Mob violence and bulldozer actions criticised
Another resolution expressed concern over what participants described as the government’s failure to take firm punitive action against perpetrators of mob violence. The meeting also condemned ‘bulldozer’ action against the homes and businesses of accused persons, arguing that it amounted to harassment of Muslims and violated Supreme Court directives.
Uniform Civil Code and minority rights
Concerns were also raised over the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Former Rajya Sabha MP Obaidullah Khan Azmi said a common civil law was unsuitable for a country marked by cultural and religious diversity.
“The UCC will affect Muslim personal law and the identity of minorities,” Azmi said, while accusing the government of fostering hatred among young people.
Dolphy D’Souza, spokesperson for the Bombay Catholic Sabha, said the proposed anti-conversion law would be used to target minority communities.
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“There have been no convictions in cases registered under such laws, yet many of the accused spend long periods in jail. There is no reliable data on religious conversions. The law is a political weapon,” D’Souza added.
Call for protection of constitutional rights
The speakers urged the government to reconsider the proposed legislation and called for greater protection of constitutional rights and minority freedoms.
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