Teesta Setalvad (file photo)
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Sunday strongly condemned the arrest of human rights activist Teesta Setalvad – who pursued the case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
In a statement issued, JIH Vice president Salim Engineer said that human rights activists work to defend the rights of the oppressed and persecuted people.
The statement noted that Setalvad and her NGO - Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) - provided legal help to the victims of anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002.
It also took note of her work that helped a large number of riot victims to get justice and accused persons being punished. The hard work of Setalvad's NGO forced the then Central government to pay monetary compensation in a large number of cases which was at par with the compensation given to Sikh victims of the 1984 riots in Delhi.
The statement further remarked that victimizing such a person simply because her activities may have caused some problems to a few people in politics and government does not only pose a threat to the country's democratic system, but it will also weaken the will of the human rights groups and individuals to stand with the victims in future.
"Activists are not adversaries or enemies of the government and the administration but their work supplements the government in delivering justice to the people," the statement further read.