On visit from Sharjah, accountant boarded Ulema Express

• An accountant in a construction firm in Sharjah, UAE, Abu Sham Azmi (24) came to Azamgarh for a visit a week ago. He says that he faced all sorts of difficulties at Mumbai airport, where he was “grilled” by the cops, who he claims singled him out because of the Azamgarh address on his passport.

“When I reached my village in Azamgarh, I heard about this rally and I knew I had to come. What is happening in India is unacceptable. We as a Muslim community and as people belonging to Azamgarh are being targeted and it really has to stop,” says Azmi, who has a BCom degree from Jyoti Niketan College in Azamgarh.

Azmi has been working in Sharjah for over a year and says he has never faced any harassment there. “When I heard my fellow students complaining that MNCs in India had kicked them out, I was shocked. How can a thing like this happen in this country? We need to make ourselves heard, because such a thing cannot take place in a civilised society,” Azmi says.

Mohammed Arif (14)

‘Atif was my neighbour, couldn’t have been Batla House mastermind’

• Mohammed Arif (14) is a Standard VIII student. He also works as a part-time undertaker

in a cemetery near his village. He says that he came to the Capital with the group in order to protect his future.

“I read all sorts of accounts in newspapers describing good students as terrorists or masterminds. What topped everything was the Batla House encounter. Atif (Amin, who was killed in the Batla House encounter) used to stay just half a kilometre from my house. From what I have seen and heard, he was a very soft-spoken boy. How someone like him masterminded such operations, as claimed by police, is beyond me,” Arif says. He also shares that he dreams of working in the Capital after finishing college, but says that both he and his parents fear what might happen to him here. “You know, now these people are targeting the educated youth. Earlier, they used to claim that bearded maulanas were the masterminds. Now, university-going and well-dressed students are suddenly the masterminds. I am really worried and hope that this rally brings a positive change in the Government’s attitude.”

Shams Parvez (74)

Madrasas don’t give lessons in terror, says Urdu instructor

• An Urdu teacher in a madrasa, Shams Parvez says that he felt compelled to join the protest journey because he could not bear to see the reports brought out by police about madrassas giving terror training to students.

“Is it wrong for us to teach our children about our religion? How can they say that we impart terror education in our madrasas? As far as education is concerned, our madrasas impart lessons in Urdu, Hindi, science and even English. Why do they want to defame us and stop the education that has finally seen the light of the day in our town?” says Parvez.

He is also upset that a student in Jyoti Niketan College, who he says is a topper, is allegedly wanted by the police in connection with a terror case. “The principal there is my friend. He told me that the cops were looking for the boy. It is so sad because the boy is brilliant in academics. Do you understand when I tell you how they are targeting educated youth and spoiling their future?” asks Parvez

Mohd Noor-ul-Huda (20)

‘25 students are missing, media doesn’t care’

• Mohammed Noor-ul-Huda is a second-year LLB student in Shibli College.

He says that the youth in Azamgarh are confronted with two problems: the first that they are Muslims, the second that they happen to come from Azamgarh. “Is it justified? In the past two months, over 25 students have gone missing.

We do not know if they have been killed in police encounters somewhere or if they cooling their heels in jail. It is futile to file missing complaints because the media does not care to report such stories. Is it not sad?” asks Huda.

He adds that going to Delhi to pursue further studies is slowly becoming difficult for Muslim youth. “Students who study in Jamia University and stay in Batla House are being targeted,” says Huda, adding that he feels the government resents Muslims getting ahead in education. “Earlier, they used to say that we (Muslims) are an uneducated lot. Now they are targeting us when we opt to pursue higher degrees. Who will come ahead to study in such a situation?” says Huda.

Rashid Ahmed (19)

‘We are students, not terror masterminds’

• Rashid Ahmed is a second-year BCom student in Shibli College. He says he has political aspirations, and believes that he can give a voice to his community unlike existing politicians who do not understand the trials and tribulations of Muslims, especially those living in Azamgarh. “I want to put my town on the map. I want to tell India that we exist and that we are not terrorists. We are students and not the dreaded masterminds the police lead you to believe. What is happening now? The police catch one of us, torture him in jail and later release him for want of proof. What happens then? His career is destroyed. No company would hire him. It could happen to me tomorrow,” says an emotional Ahmed.

He says he does not know if the Batla Encounter is fake, but is not convinced that it is genuine either. “Why are they so afraid of a judicial enquiry? That is what puzzles me. If the encounter is fake, the truth should come out and the officers responsible should be punished. Is that a sign of terrorist sympathising with other terrorists, as claimed by media?” asks Ahmed.