NWF to hold Protest rallies in Tamil Nadu to release of Muslim prisoners

Chennai: Demanding the release of Muslim prisoners on former Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai’s birth anniversary (September 15), the National Women’s Front has planned to organise a massive protest in the city on June 24.

Addressing a press conference, the NWF organisers said that in independent India, among all the marginalised communities it is the Muslim community which has been affected largely on many accounts and keeping that in account this protest was being organised placing a demand to release the Muslim prisoners who are languishing in jails for more than 7 years.

The Indian Constitution and Criminal Procedure Code have given powers to the State government to release convicts under life term on compassionate grounds. There has been precedence and prisoners have been released on the occasion of birth anniversary of an eminent leader or special occasions. They also listed a number of cases since 1975 in Tamil Nadu where convicts were released on various occasions by both the Dravidian parties which ruled the state. NWF also cited that during all these cases not a single Muslim prisoner was released and only in 2009 for namesake 10 Muslim prisoners, who were about to complete the term, were released.

NWF alleged that when it came comes to the treatment of Muslim prisoners, they had have always been discriminated and the intelligence bureau always functions with a bias towards them.

They also demanded that not only Muslims but members of other communities who are eligible to be considered for release under compassionate grounds shall be released. “There are 49 muslim prisoners who have completed 7 years of jail term and we request the State government to take into account the plight of the womenfolk and release them,” said Fathima Kani, State executive council member, NWF.

The protest rally scheduled on Sunday will start from Nelpettai and pass via North Masi Street and culminate at Meenakshi Bazaar where a protest meeting would be held. It is part of a State-wide protest to be held at Coimbatore, Chennai and Tirunelveli.