Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has condemned the disturbing incidents of voter suppression targeting Muslims and other marginalised communities during the recent elections in India.
In an official statement, JIH Vice President Malik Moatasim Khan said, “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemns the disturbing incidents of voter suppression targeting Muslims and other marginalised sections.”
During the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 7, reports emerged from Uttar Pradesh that police resorted to unprovoked lathi-charge on people in at least four Muslim-concentrated villages and allegedly prevented them from casting their vote, resulting in injuries to hundreds of voters.
The statement further said that in Aliganj in the Farukhabad Lok Sabha constituency as well as in Aonla Lok Sabha constituency, numerous eligible voters were reportedly prevented from casting their vote.
There are also alarming reports of bogus voting in the Rasulabad Assembly segment of the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency, the statement noted.
The JIH Vice President stated, “This heavy-handed police action against innocent voters undermines the basic democratic right of citizens to participate freely in the electoral process. In a democracy, it is essential that every citizen, irrespective of their background or beliefs, be encouraged and facilitated to cast their vote without fear or obstruction.”
“However, the incidents highlighted above represent a troubling trend where Muslims and other marginalised communities are systematically targetted and disenfranchised,” he added.
To ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future electoral phases, the JIH called upon the Election Commission of India to “thoroughly investigate these incidents and take immediate corrective measures”.
