Allahabad High Court Orders Round-the-Clock Security for Muslim Man Barred from Praying at Home
New Delhi: The Allahabad high court on Wednesday (March 11) has directed the state to provide two armed guards for Haseen Khan, a Bareilly resident, after he was allegedly stopped by police from offering Namaz at his private residence. A petition was filed by one Tarik Khan. A division bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan warned that any violence against Haseen Khan or his property would be considered the state's responsibility.
"The said guards shall accompany him wherever he goes," the high court bench said, while passing the order after Haseen Khan appeared before the court seeking protection for his family and property.
“Any incident of violence affecting the person or property of Haseen Khan shall, prima facie, be presumed to have occurred at the instance of the state, even as such presumption shall remain open to rebuttal,” the court observed.
Khan had earlier approached the court seeking permission for a congregation to offer Namaz at his house. The state had then acknowledged that Khan didn't require permission to pray at home, citing Article 25 of the constitution.
However, he was allegedly detained and fined by police while praying. He also claimed that he was threatened with demolition and coerced into signing blank papers.
“Us din main apne ghar mein namaz padh raha tha. Mere parivar wale bhi namaz padh rahe the. Aur utha kar police le gayi aur mera chalan kar diya. Baad mein Arif pradhan aur Mukhtiyar mujhse miley aur mujhse kaha gaya ki agar court mein merey mutabik nahi bologey to tere ghar mai bulldozer chal jayega. Uskey baad Arif pradhan aur kuch shakhs ney mujhe gaon key bahar le jaakar chhoda gaya. Aur police walon ney mujhe chaaron ore se gher kar mujhse ek likhit kagazat par angutha lagwya liya gaya, jis par kuch likha hua tha, main padh nahi saka kyunki main anpadh hoon. (I was offering namaz at my house that day. My family members were also with me. In the meantime, I was picked by police, and I was issued a challan. Then pradhan Arif and Mukhtiar conveyed to me that if I don’t say in court as they say, bulldozer action will take place at my house. Then police personnel encircled me and got my thumb impression on a piece of paper which had something written over it. I could not read it since I am illiterate),” Haseen Khan was quoted as saying in the court by The Indian Express.
The court has summoned senior officials, including the district magistrate Avinash Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya, on March 23 over contempt allegations.
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